Pioneer Activists is an ongoing series of artworks by Suzanne Benton. Consisting largely of monoprints with Chine collé where the artist references suffragists, feminists, writers and educators from the 19th century and beyond. These works embody the artist’s stellar theme of bringing past to present.
Susan B. Anthony the Elder, monoprint with Chine collé, 18 ½ x 13 ¼ inches, 2020
From Wikipedia
Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to social equality, she collected anti-slavery petitions at the age of 17. In 1856, she became the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.
In 1851, she met Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who became her lifelong friend and co-worker in social reform activities, primarily in the field of women's rights. In 1852, they founded the New York Women's State Temperance Society after Anthony was prevented from speaking at a temperance conference because she was female.
In 1863, they founded the Women's Loyal National League, which conducted the largest petition drive in United States history up to that time, collecting nearly 400,000 signatures in support of the abolition of slavery.
In 1866, they initiated the American Equal Rights Association, which campaigned for equal rights for both women and African Americans.
In 1868, they began publishing a women's rights newspaper called The Revolution.
In 1869, they founded the National Woman Suffrage Association as part of a split in the women's movement.
In 1890, the split was formally healed when their organization merged with the rival American Woman Suffrage Association to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association, with Anthony as its key force.
In 1876, Anthony and Stanton began working with Matilda Joslyn Gage on what eventually grew into the six-volume History of Woman Suffrage. The interests of Anthony and Stanton diverged somewhat in later years, but the two remained close friends.
In preparation for this ongoing series the artist received images from Legacy Magazine’s photo archive of 19th Century women writers, understanding that she’d obtain permission from each source to use the photos in her artworks. Permissions were received and she began the series in 1992. The Harvard/Radcliffe Schlesinger library then offered Suzanne access to relevant microfiche images that were employed in subsequent works. In addition, the library exhibited the in 1992. The collector Vivien Leone purchased and donated one to the library, and the library subsequently purchased two more.
The Women’s Rights Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY, exhibited the growing series in 1995 during the 75th anniversary of women’s suffrage. The Oberlin College Library offered their photo archive of early women attendees and graduates that also including African American women. The artist exhibited 19th Century Women at Oberlin College, a collaboration between Oberlin College and FAVA Art Center in 1996. Oberlin subsequently purchased the more than 20 works they keep on rotating display throughout college buildings. In 2018, the Oberlin College library, changed its name to the Mary Church Terrell Library, and Suzanne received a commission to create a large monoprint using photos of this pioneer African American Civil Rights activist. An exhibit of the library’s holdings of Suzanne’s monoprints were exhibited at the official re- naming ceremony.
Most of the artworks in this series have been acquired. The Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls, NY; the Radcliffe/Harvard Schlesinger Library, Cambridge, MA; Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH; Central Connecticut College, New Britain, CT; and the Ridgebury Congregational Church, Ridgefield, CT keep the works on permanent display. Others from the series are owned by the Allyn Museum, Oberlin, OH; St Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, St Petersburg, FL; Lyman Allen Museum, New London, CT; and the Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT.
Suzanne Benton is a native New Yorker who has shared her many-faceted art for over 60 years and in 32 countries. Exhibiting widely (150+ solo shows and representation in museums, and private collections worldwide), she’s a highly recognized metal mask maker and mask performance artist, printmaker, painter, lecturer, and workshop leader. A trans-culturalist and feminist pioneer based in the States, her venues have stretched from New York City to villages in remote parts of Africa, India, and Nepal, and to philosophy and education portals from Calcutta to Cambridge. A former Fulbright Scholar (India), she’s received many grants and artist residencies, including numerous hostings by the cultural arm of US Embassies. Her unique artwork has carried her worldwide since 1976, sharing her work in Bali, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Canada, Hong Kong, Denmark, Egypt, England, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Yugoslavia. Author of The Art of Welded Sculpture and various articles, Suzanne is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Art, and Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975, Edited by Barbara Love, 2006.
