Local gallery highlights the importance of women in art

For 26 years, Women and Their Work has provided a place for women in the Austin arts community to showcase their art.

"Our mission is based on our name -- that art is work. It is a profession for which people should be paid, like a plumber or an accountant, and women create it," says Chris Cowden of Women and Their Work.

Artist Jill Bedgood says, "If you look around the work, I would say in this particular exhibition, you wouldn't know that it was a man's work or a woman's work, it's just strong, good art. That's what this organization is about, is giving us a chance to exhibit and equally exhibit as men do, and I think there's still, if you read statistics, women still do not have an equal footing in many areas including gallery representation, museum exhibitions, academia, and many other venues."

Women and Their Work is unusual in that it is a non-profit gallery, providing the artists involved with a unique opportunity for artistic growth.

"One of the things that I think that Women and Their Work provides to the arts community is a beautiful venue where women artists can come and exhibit their work in a space that's not commercially driven, and that allows the artist to experiment and present work that wouldn't normally be seen in a commercial gallery." says artist Connie Arismendi.

Women and Their Work provides benefits not just to artists, but to art lovers as well. The gallery offers new exhibitions every five weeks and also hosts field trips for schoolchildren, in which they learn about and create art.

"Our interest is to make art a part of everyone's life -- from children to people in their 90s, that see art and enjoy art and are challenged by art and want to talk about art," says Cowden, "And that's what we're here to do, to provide the fodder for conversation, contemplation, and examination."

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Produced by Tom Spencer.