Opening Reception for Art Show by Women Veterans: Overlooked / Looked Over

On Saturday, March 10, 2012, the National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM) will host the opening of Overlooked / Looked Over, a new exhibit featuring work by eight women artists who are veterans of the U.S. military. Admission to the NVAM will be free all day with light refreshments offered from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Artist and curator talks will take place between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Overlooked / Looked Over responds to the growth in numbers of women joining the military, which has soared over the past decade. Iraq War veteran and curator Erica Slone notes that women currently comprise 14.5% of active duty military and there are 1.8 million women veterans; yet there has been little research to date on how contemporary military culture and war affects women. “Through Overlooked/Looked Over,” Slone says, “I intend to shine a light on the unique experiences of women during service, in war, and as veterans.”

According to Slone, the concept for Overlooked / Looked Over is taken from a quote by the late American actress and sex symbol Mae West: “I’d rather be looked over than overlooked.” Slone states, “Depending on one’s own definition of feminism, Mae West could be either the quintessential feminist or anti-feminist. Her statement, however, presents a false dichotomy of attitudes about women, and the coexistence of these polar attitudes toward women is exacerbated within our armed forces.”

The show’s opening is timed to coincide with the centenary anniversary of International Women’s Day. Annually on March 8, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. All around the world, women are connected by activities ranging from business conferences and networking events to local women's craft markets and theatric performances.

Artists in the show include Victoria Robillard Bryers, a retired veteran with thirty years service in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves, Iris M. Feliciano, a Marine Corps veteran, Maggie Martin, an Army veteran and field organizer with Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), Robynn Murray, an Army veteran and subject of the documentary film Poster Girl, Joyce Wagner, a Marine veteran and board chair of IVAW, Emily Yates, an Army veteran, Regina Vasquez, a Marine Corps Veteran and founder and executive director of the Fatigues Clothesline Project, and curator Erica Slone, an Air Force veteran.