From January 3 – 26, the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC) of Portland, Oregon, will be hosting two exhibits designed to give a face to women in oil-producing countries, many of which are predominantly Muslim.
“Janet Essley’s exhibit- Oil/Resist- is a play on words between the media Ms. Essley is using and the message in her work. Motor oil, carpet felt, tar paper and other petroleum based materials are employed to give a face to the people who live in oil producing countries. Portraits and an installation piece create and intimate connection between people and effects of oil production…. Joining [Ms. Essley] are two Iranian women artists [Hengameh Azadi and Hengameh Modarresi] brought to us by the Oregon Women’s Caucus for Art in an exhibit entitled Iranian Women Speak Out Through Art.”
The website states: “Two exhibits connected by a theme of place working in very different media come to the IFCC. We often refer to major oil producing countries as just that. A place. Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, have become places and this exhibit reminds us that these countries are filled with people who live full lives barely touched by the influence of the oil or more often the victims of it their government and corporations who control the oil production.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. There are Muslim women out there are who are speaking up through their media, and this is a great example.
On the subject of speaking up, if you’re an American Muslim women, there’s a chance for you to tell your story. In the dating/courtship process, Muslim women are all assumed to be passive and without choices as to whom they date/marry. We all know this is a crap idea, but why not change it by telling your story, whether you’re single, married, engaged, or whatever you like? All the details are here.