Art Matters: Standing on the Right Side of Herstory By Supporting the Right to Choose
Our clients, friends, and many associates have come to know our annual holiday tradition of gifting coasters featuring work by our talented illustrators. Each year, we choose an important issue that deserves as much awareness as possible. Art matters — it has a way of inspiring ideas, sparking conversations, and ultimately, evoking a sense of humanity among us all. For this year’s Coaster Collection 2020, we wanted to shed light on a critical issue: a woman’s right to control her fertility.
But first, a little bit of history.
In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court made a historic decision for women and their individual bodily rights. They deemed any law preventing abortions was unconstitutional, ruling that a woman’s lawful right to privacy extended to her unborn child. Abortions were officially made a woman’s legal right.
This historical moment, known as Roe Vs Wade, divided the United States into the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice groups. These groups still exist to this day.
Fast forward, 16-years later, in April of 1989, women’s rights took a turn for the worse. The progressive abortion laws passed in 1973 were in the process of being overturned.
It was at this time, during a controversial pro-choice rally, social rights activist and feminist artist Barbara Kruger handed out flyers featuring a silk-screened image she created.
This influential artwork features a black and white image of a woman’s fractured face and Kruger’s signature red typeface splashed across with the words: “Your Body is a Battleground.”
“Your Body is a Battleground.” would go on to be broadcasted to feminists and pro-choice activists around the country and grow to become an iconic representation of the pro-choice movement. But more importantly, this piece of art gave visibility to the struggle for the advancement of women’s rights.
It’s baffling to recognize that today, over 30 years after the creation of this artwork, that issues surrounding abortion and women’s bodily autonomy remains as divisive as ever before. Women’s bodies remain politicized and are still, in fact, a battleground. The meaning and resonance of Kruger’s political art remain relevant to this day, and maybe even more so than in previous decades.
Woman Are Still Denied This Basic Human Right
Even when human rights take progressive steps in the right direction and historical moments are solidified in history — like Roe Vs Wade in 1973 — politics surrounding women’s bodies still remain up for debate, even in developed and democratic modern nations like Canada and the United States.
Most recently, in 2019, a series of U.S. states passed laws, making it illegal for a woman to have an abortion. States like Alabama, Georgia, and Indiana have banned abortions.
Even in countries, we assume to be the most progressive, like Canada, women’s rights to bodily autonomy are still threatened by pro-life movements that don’t only exist but are actively supported by local politicians.
For example, abortions have been legal in Canada for the past 30 years. However, anti-abortion activists have initiated rallies across major Canadian cities in 2019. Where politicians such as Ontario MPP Sam Oosterhoff stood in front of activists and media in Ottawa — the nation’s capital — and promised that he will “pledge to fight to make abortion unthinkable in our lifetime.”
Even though progress and advancement are possible, it’s never linear. The overturning of landmark decisions like Rowe vs. Wade and the recent uprising of pro-choice activists in Canada shows confirms this unfortunate reality. One thing that should remain unquestionably clear: Supporting groups who stand up for women’s rights is more important than ever before.
Even women living in countries with progressive abortion laws, like Sweden or Israel, should still be paying attention to abortion issues in the USA and other countries where it remains illegal.
Art a powerful tool for the expression of human rights
As political and social activists such as Barbara Kruger have shown us, art still endures as one of the most important vehicles for freedom of speech, but more importantly, for the expression of human rights.
Art has always been a vehicle for freedom of expression. This becomes even truer for minorities and marginalized groups. Art that probes, questions the status quo, and criticizes political issues is one of the most important forms of free speech.
We at Anna Goodson Illustration Agency believe in the power of art as a driver of social change and has been expressing this strong belief and value through a yearly Coaster Campaign.
Now in its 19th year, Anna Goodson Illustration Agency wants to stand up for women’s rights and draw attention to issues surrounding the rights of women with the We Are Artists, Here Us Roar coaster collection for the #OurBodiesOurChoices campaign.
Over 40 of the agency’s most talented illustrators have come together to create unique and original coasters to raise awareness for women’s rights through art.
Supporting Artists Who Share A Belief in Human Rights for Women
Even if you are not a creator or artist yourself, you can actively choose to stand on the right side of history by supporting campaigns such as the #OurBodiesOurChoices.
When groups that threaten women’s fundamental human rights are given a platform and voice, society and law-making, as an extension, can and will revert to biased and discriminatory ways of thinking.
By showing support for these creators we can all aim to minimize the voices of groups who threaten to undermine the advancement of women’s rights. There has never been a more important time to encourage artists that amplify the voice of progress.