The Ancestors, Paintings & Tapestries

This statement was written by artist, writer and curator V. Jane Gordon and appears in the exhibition catalogue, The Re-inventing Eve Project: Inventions/Preservations.

“ Betty Herman has given us a series of female agents whose choices for preservation may be a kind of cultural innovation. Her acrylic on canvas paintings titled Ancestors portray female figures interacting within the human profusion of communities. The nuanced space of the surfaces is non-specific, neither temple, home nor marketplace. However, the space is invaded by decorative motifs derived from the tradition handwork done by women. The dynamism of the poses, the Michelangelesque strength of forearms emphasizes the activeness of the women portrayed here, they are not on display, rather they are on the move- busy working at something of significance. The prayer shawl is a gender specific sign, which is repeated as a motif in these works and which locates these women who wear it between reverence and rebellion, between preservation and innovation.”

V. Jane Gordon
Curator