MMA Cadets Honor Women’s History Month by Celebrating Female Artists

This Women's History Month, Missouri Military Academy high school cadets in Cheryl Morris’s Art Fundamentals and Painting and Sculpture classes have learned about the significant contributions of female artists across history. Through this exploration, cadets have immersed themselves in the remarkable achievements of women in the arts, further enriching their understanding and appreciation. 

Women's History Month is an annual celebration dedicated to honoring the contributions, achievements and struggles of women throughout history. It provides a platform to recognize the pivotal roles women have played in shaping society, politics, culture and various fields. It encompasses the entire month of March, offering opportunities for education, reflection and advocacy on issues related to gender equality and women's empowerment.

Cadets studied the following inspirational artists:

Art Fundamentals 

Shantell Martin, 1980-, is a multifaceted British artist known for her work across various disciplines. Martin is not only a creator but also a mentor, teaching others to find their unique artistic paths and advocating for the benefits of creativity in enhancing mental health and personal growth.

Bridget Louise Riley, 1931-, is an English painter known for her op art paintings. Riley became a 1960s icon, not just of op art, but also of contemporary British painting. She was the first woman to win the painting prize at the Venice Biennale in 1968. Riley's innovations in art inspired a generation of op artists, including Richard Allen and Richard Anuszkiewicz.

Marie Bracquemond, 1840-1916, was a French impressionist artist and one of four notable women in the Impressionist movement. Throughout her career, Bracquemond continued to produce works of art, from drawings and prints to finished paintings, within a somewhat restricted range of subject matter, including domestic scenes, portraits, landscapes and still lifes. These were standard themes for female impressionists of the time, who, because of their gender and class (all of them middle- or upper-class women), were restricted in terms of what and where they could paint.

Cadets also learned about the following competitive and noteworthy female watercolor artists from across the world: Carrie Waller, USA; Marie Francoise Ingels, Belgium; Mary Jansen, USA; Susan Payne, Australia; Catherine O’Neill, USA; Le Zou, China; Kristine Parins, USA; Karen Richardson, Canada; Marilyn Wear, USA; Lili Sun, China; Irena Roman, USA; Xiaoxia Chen, China; Diane Nevinsmith, USA; Nuria Reira, Spain; Ada Florek, Poland; Marian Mattinson, South Africa; Belinda Blight, Australia; Kyle Legaspi, Philippines; Brittney Tough, Canada; Kate Worman-Becker, USA; Loel Kathmann, USA; Anne McCartney, Canada; Janet Doll, USA; and Sian Thomas, United Kingdom.

Painting and Sculpture 

Luisa Roldán, 1652-1706, was born in Seville, Spain. She is the first documented female sculptor in Spain.

Edmonia Lewis, 1844-1907, was born to an African American father and a Native American mother. Lewis found the inspiration for her sculptures in the Emancipation Proclamation, Native American culture and biblical stories.

Augusta Savage,1892-1962, was an artist from the United States. During the 1930s, Savage opened her own art school in Harlem. She was the first director of the Harlem Community Art Center and also became the first African American elected to the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors.

Louise Bourgeois,1911-2010, was a French-American painter and printmaker, but she was best known for sculpture. Her sculpture focused on common themes like domesticity, sexuality, mortality and the unconscious.

Yahoi Kusama, 1929-, is a Japanese artist whose work is based on conceptual art but has strong elements of feminism, minimalism, art brut, pop art and abstract expressionism. Besides painting, she is also active in performance, video art, fashion and other arts. 

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