Stirring Things Up
While I was cooking up my 4th poppyseed cake for the Democratic Women of Watauga County’s “Votes for Women” event next Sunday (September 15th), I was asked by someone which of the event’s raffle exhibits I was going all in to take home with me.
You see, I’ve been pulling a lot of these exhibits together and have become repeatedly sidelined researching who and what was going on way back in the late 1900’s through the early part of the 20th century.
I mean there were some seriously feisty suffragettes I wish I could time travel back to meet in person. And then there’s the raucous partying; the fashion styles (OMG); the Nouveau and Deco art (OMG); the clever scheming to achieve voting rights for women; and the really rad 1920’s kitchen pottery and the late 19th century footwear for sale on Ebay.
Yep. I really got my teeth into this. We’re talking some obsessed late nights here as a result. Just ask Jerry.
Pick one? I want them all of them. I can’t pick a favorite. But I did clean the poppyseeds off my kitchen counter just long enough to set one exhibit up really quick to give you a sneak peek of what I’m talking about.
Suffragettes Embraced a New Decade
Exhibit Narrative:
“During World War I, women entered the workforce in large numbers, receiving higher wages and discretionary money that working women were not inclined to give up during peacetime. After the war ended in 1918, women embarked on a bold evolution of expression and innovative art deco styles. Both the art and fashion of the time reflected women’s newly embraced intellectual and fashion liberation. Artists and advertisers responded with bold and vibrant colors and new styles with eye-catching designs and individuality called “le style moderne" or "Jazz Moderne.” Villeroy & Boch Pottery (a company that celebrated its 275th anniversary just last year) replicates old lithographs from the beginning of the 20th century that beautifully illustrate the new fashion on this porcelain plate. And an Etsy seller from the UK donated replicated hand tinted photo portraits, snapshot images, and fashion illustrations to produce and celebrate unique greeting cards of the period for this event.”
There are just a few tickets left.
You’ll want to snag one today.
Tickets are $100 each. If you can’t come, you can buy one for a friend or buy a ticket for another woman who cannot afford the ticket cost.
When, where and how:
The “Votes for Women” event takes place Sunday, September 15th promptly at 3:00 PM. It includes a tour of Boone’s historic Lovill house, a late afternoon luncheon feast, 4 generations of local women each talking about how the women’s movement has and continues to affect her personal life, and a raffle exhibit and drawing that walks us through the early days of the women’s suffrage movement. Recommended attire is white in honor of our ancestor suffragettes, and shuttle service will be provided from the Watauga County Social Services parking lot on West King Street in Boone starting at 2:30 PM. (No parking at the Lovill House please. Dropoffs ok.)