Suffrage Rugs 2020 — Sharon Louden

suffrage Rugs: Amplifying Voices of Unheard Women
2020

University of central arkansas, conway, ar

August 16 - November 9, 2020

Two forms spanning total area of approximately 7,500 square feet.

Square One
Dimensions: 25x25’ with black (2’ wide), brown (2’ wide), and yellow (1’ wide) bands. Interior area: 21 x 21’.

Media: black (1.2 yards), brown (1 yard), and gold (.1 yard) recycled rubber; interior - crystal and green recycled colored glass (.75 yards) over white rock (.75 yards).

Square Two
Dimensions: 30x30’ with interior area (15x15’) surrounded by white band (2.5’ wide) and six separate bands - each approximately 20x5’ - created by and in collaboration with six University of Central Arkansas undergraduate art students: Adrianna Kimble-Ray, Suzanne “Claire” Webre, Desiree Coleman, Logan Gaston, Savannah Pelley, and Maegan Wise. Read about their contributions in this PDF.

Media: purple, black and brown recycled rubber and blue, green, yellow, and red recycled colored glass (various amounts); white sand (1.2 yards).

Suffrage Rugs was a collaboration with a group of six women students from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) to create a temporary sculptural installation in Alumni Circle during the Covid pandemic. As a component of UCA's Suffrage Centennial, Suffrage Rugs transcends the traditional role that women usually played in domestic chores of the home and focuses on those lesser known women who contributed to this landmark moment in American history, such as Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Angelina Weld Grimké, Marsha P. Thompson, and Sarah Parker Remond, to name only a few.

Suffrage Rugs was also accompanied by a commissioned animation entitled, Seen and Heard: Amplifying Gratitude. Designed to be barrier-free and walked upon, Suffrage Rugs was also used as a performance venue for multidisciplinary suffrage activities. Both works were made possible by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.