In a historic moment 20 years ago, women banded together in Estes Park to organize a gala of activities to honor the first Women’s History Month. That year, in 1987, Congress had passed a resolution that made March the official month to celebrate the forgotten history of women’s accomplishments. This little mountain town was fast out the gate.
“There used to be committees here in Estes Park, it was a very well-organized effort,” says Lynda Vogel, a pioneer of that movement, now executive director of the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park.
“There was a luncheon, nominations were made, awards were given out, speakers came in. It was a pretty big event.”
Many of those civic celebrations have long since died off. But Vogel – and her vision – persevere. This year, the Women’s History Month Art Exhibition celebrates its 20th anniversary in Estes Park.
From landscape painters to sculptors, these 44 female artists work a range of media: oil, watercolor, pastel, pencil, bronze, fiber and precious metals.
Personal narratives accompany the art. As sculptor Kelley Klawiter says, “My work glorifies women in Colorado and tries to emulate the energy and movement of these great pioneers.”
Vogel, the show’s curator, takes a moment to recall its roots. – Colleen O’Connor
How did you get this idea? At that time, I was involved as curator of exhibitions and education for the Estes Park Museum, and had a tremendous amount of experience working with the arts in Colorado. I thought it might be nice to do an art exhibition in conjunction with the activities going on at the museum and the Estes Park Public Library around the celebration of Women’s History Month. It was one of those ideas you have around a kitchen table. “What can we do locally to celebrate what’s going on?”
Why are you one of the few venues left of that original Estes Park group to still celebrate Women’s History Month? Our local historical museum still does some programming associated with Women’s History Month, listed on their website. It’s not like we completely stopped celebrating, but the committees and meetings we used to do are no longer in force. Of all the women who were part of that original committee, I think I’m the last one left.
Does this mean our culture has evolved to the point that we no longer need such commemorations of women’s history? I do believe we still need them. I definitely see myself as a mentor. Through the whole women’s movement I had an older woman who was my mentor in the ’70s. She broke a lot of ground, and made a lot of strides. She was a literary artist who taught me a lot about being independent, having a voice, and learning how to use that voice. In talking with the artists in this show, we came to recognize that it’s still really important – especially for young women – that we become mentors.
We need to keep the story going, keep the line of history going, so young women understand what those before them overcame. Now it’s almost taken for granted that women have access to public shows, and being published, but it wasn’t always that way.
