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The Suffolk Art League and Suffolk Art Gallery have partnered to put on an exhibit inspired by Peggy Guggenheim’s first U.S. all-women exhibition in 1943. “31 Women” is the first female-only show put on by the gallery and features about 90 pieces from 31 artists. The exhibit will be on display through June 13.

“One of the things in our [artist] call that we were hoping for is artists that were pushing the boundaries of their specific medium,” said Jennifer Lucy, the Suffolk Art Gallery cultural arts coordinator. “So I feel like that definitely is reflected in what we got.” 

Elaine Qiu won first place, Rowena Federico Finn won second, and Jenn Clemons won third.

Exhibit juror Blythe King said she was particularly drawn to Qiu’s charcoal piece, “Tell Me About the Drums,” because Qiu made the charcoal herself, and her mentor gifted the paper.

“That lineage and that connection I’m really moved by,” King said. “And just again, that perspective, giving those kind of fragmented views and changing our perspective through painting and drawing I think is really strong and very special.” 

Qiu said she felt “honored” to receive first place and that it was “wonderful” to be part of an all-female exhibit.

“Especially in this time, it’s important to have our voice and our stories being seen, heard, and celebrated,” she said.

Finn was awarded second place for her use of capiz shells, a major export of the Philippines. 

She often literally ties together aspects of her Filipino and American heritage through her quilt-style fiber work — something Kind said is “a very personal use of the material and what makes the work so strong.”

Finn said the award was very “validating,” especially to be recognized among other talented female artists.

Clemons was awarded third place for “Limbow,” a portrait of a redwood tree, and said it feels “very powerful” to be a part of the exhibit.

King is an art educator, program director, and practicing artist. Inspired by Zen Buddhist practices, King specializes in image transfer, collages, and gold leafing. In 2021, she started Open Space Education in response to the growing need for art education, access to nature, and alternative learning methods for young people in Richmond, Virginia. 

In her artist statement for the show, King highlighted the themes she noticed throughout the exhibit: multiplicity, dreamlike visions, reworked meanings and materials, and the interplay of strength and vulnerability.

Frida Kahlo was one of the original women featured in the original “31 Women” exhibit, and King said her “compelling blend of strength and vulnerability” is seen at the gallery’s exhibit.

“I think this show, as a whole, embodies an ongoing devotion to the vision of women artists and their ability to imagine new possibilities,” she wrote in her statement. “While Frida may represent the hardships of women, she also expresses liberation. I find a similar sense of unhindered freedom throughout the work of the 31 Mid-Atlantic women artists selected for this exhibit.”

Out of the 31 women featured in the show, 21 are from Virginia — 15 from coastal Virginia — and 10 are from out of state.

Hillarey Breedlove, executive director of the Suffolk Art League, said this could be the exhibit with the most shipped in artwork. She added there were a few artists who flew in to help install their work.

There’s also a wide variety of mediums showcased, such as old letters, old gloves, used bags of rice, and pieces of nature. King called this “impressive” in her statement.

The exhibit also features a Piece by Suffolk native Judith Godwin, who began her artist career in 1950. Her work has garnered immense respect, as her atypical style stands out due to her blend of modern dance movements and Zen Buddhism. 

She later studied under Hans Hofmann and expanded her technique to include elements of Indigenous American art and working as a landscape gardener.

In the late 1900s, she started using pastel colors and found materials to express gender and identity ideas that were ahead of her time.

Breedlove said she’s excited to feature the Godwin piece because it stands out on its own, but also blends in with the other pieces.

King noted this exhibit is special because of the way the pieces act like “prisms,” forcing viewers to see “multiple vantage points” and experiencing life through different points of view.

They “convey something of the specific experiences of women, and are what make the exhibition meaningful to everybody who sees it,” she said.