Enough is Enough

I’ve been working day and night since the beginning of November on a project that took on a whole life of its own.

Women Sharing Art, Inc. is a group of women artists I belong to and we were tasked with creating an exhibition of art around the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment which is: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” essentially giving women the right to vote.

I started doing research and writing about my own feelings about what courage and bravery it took for those women to say they wanted to be able to vote and to do something about it.

“Enough is Enough”
2020
Polymer clay tiles, beads, yarn, metal bits

What would the world look like if no one ever said anything when they felt that something wasn’t right?
What has to happen before someone feels empowered enough to speak up?
Where would we be if Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Susan B. Anthony hadn’t said they wanted the right to vote?

Anger is part of that process.
Some judge their anger and see it as a bad thing, thinking anger is not constructive and so keep silent.
Some become angry but do nothing.
Some use their anger to propel them to take action, to speak up and make changes.
Some consider seeing their anger as a signpost that points to something that is out of balance in the world instead of something to be avoided or ashamed of.

Anger can cover many emotions – sadness, fear, anxiety, cowardice, frustration, impotence, panic.
Anger can feel like a ball in the middle of your stomach, a hard knot, an explosive feeling in your head, or a banging in your chest.
It takes work to unravel the emotions of anger and decide to do something about those feelings and thoughts.

Anger exploration often begins around a kitchen table with your mother, your sister or a good friend. Women often weave the fabric of our lives and society with their emotions, feelings, hopes, dreams, desires, wishes and anger throughout our day, day in and day out.
Know that something beautiful, strong, lasting, useful, life-changing can be created from the anger.

I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, I wasn’t sure I could do something like this, but I just kept pushing myself, saying, yes, you can, yes, you can.

“Enough is Enough” by Libby Hintz, 2020, polymer clay tiles, beads, ceramic tile, yarn, metal bits; aerial view

“Enough is Enough” by Libby Hintz, 2020, polymer clay tiles, beads, ceramic tile, yarn, metal bits; side view