assemblage: metal, glass, wood, acrylic paint, paper, graphite, fabric; 50x38x6”

“My piece was inspired by the courageous women of Iran who stood up against years of oppression after the death of Mahsa Zhina Amini, a young Kurdish woman, arrested by the morality police in September 2023. Her crime? her headscarf slipping back revealing her hair. Iranian women’s explosive response, “Woman, life, freedom!” resonated with women around the world. Reminiscent of an Islamic facade, the decorative patterns on this work are drawn from various cultural motifs reaching back to Persia, the Italian Renaissance, China and others.1 Courageous eyes pierce the darkness seeking enlightenment; seeking to be seen beyond a rusted gate. As Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Iranian human rights lawyer notes, “It’s the women who will open the gate to democracy in Iran”.2 Regrettably, the suppression and oppression of women are not new or limited to Iran. In America, the morality police are also out in full force. Draconian laws now strip women’s autonomy to determine their own bodily health and well-being. On Friday, June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark legislation making access to an abortion a federal right. Currently, abortion is protected by state law in 21 states and the District of Columbia and is at risk of being severely limited or prohibited in twenty-six states and three territories.3 John Lewis, American civil rights activist and statesman, would also have understood this moment only too well. “Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”4 After all, it wasn’t until 1920 that the 19th Amendment to our own Constitution granted women the right to vote, a milestone, that took decades of struggle and protest. However, in 2021 alone, more than 440 bills with provisions restricting voting access have been introduced in 49 states legislative sessions.5 The threats to women everywhere today are real. We are again called to be the gatekeepers of our own fragile democracy. We can deeply understand Iranian women’s urgent chant “Woman, life, freedom!”. It may be because it sounds a lot like “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” embedded in our own 1776 Declaration of Independence.6 Seemingly, world apart, both are worthy aspirations and worth fighting for – for everyone – everywhere.
1. The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones, first published in 1856 by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company
2. Ms. Magazine Anniversary Issue, 2022
3. https://reproductiverights.org/maps/abortion-laws-by-state/
4. Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change by John Lewis, 2017 5. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup- december-2021 6. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

ARTIST BIO: Patricia Bruns attended University of Cincinnati DAAP; B.A; University of Kentucky; M.A; Miami University/Oxford, Ohio. Career art educator; Northwest Local School District/Colerain H.S.; Member Art4Artist group.