A Parade of Feminist Art Centered On Voting

Parade on Patriarchy (all images courtesy Michele Pred)

This Saturday, November 3, artist Michele Pred, along with her art collective We Vote, is organizing a feminist art parade titled “We Vote” in Manhattan, ahead of the midterm elections. The parade begins in Washington Square Park at 1 pm, ending at the Nancy Hoffman Gallery on West 27th Street. Several artists are confirmed to attend, bringing with them some of their “portable artworks.” Confirmed artists include Michele Pred, Ann Lewis, Yvette Molina, Bud Snow, Ayana Evans, Coby Kennedy, Tova Ricardo, and Krista Suh, among others.

Michele Pred, “My Body My Business” (2018), bullet proof vest, tapestry fabric and electroluminescent wire, to be worn by Pred during the parade

“The main message is the importance of voting and going to the polls on Tuesday,” said Pred in an email to Hyperallergic.

Pred has put together a Kickstarter campaign to secure funds for the parade, with a goal of $16,000, which they have now surpassed. Their new goal is to raise $18,000. Funds will go towards video and photo documentation, insurance, permits, staff, walkie-talkie rentals, artist grants for travel, and shipping of artwork. Pred has curated artists from across the country, she said in an email to Hyperallergic.

Yvette Molina, “Pussy Grabber Justice” (2018), detail image of skirt that Molina will be wearing

“I started the Kickstarter campaign with them in mind, and paying for the flight tickets for the artists that are unable to afford coming to New York,” Pred says.

Some smaller funds will also be set aside for poster boards, paints, and snacks for the children’s political poster-making workshop, led by Pred’s nine-year-old daughter before the parade.

Shireen Liane, “Show us your papers” (2018)

According to Pred’s Kickstarter website, “We Vote is the latest in a string of overtly political art actions” meant to place “artists and their community on the front lines of political change.” On the website, Pred writes:

This mid-term election is arguably the most consequential in the history of our country. For the last two years, the assault on our national psyche by those in power has been unrelenting. Their focus on demonizing the most vulnerable among us in order to placate those fearful of change has been completely unchecked. The result is the largest wealth gap since just before the Great Depression and the rapid erosion of what little remains of our democracy.

But we still have our voices. And we still have artists. Art, at its best, points out the absurdities and inequities we live with every day. It provokes new ways of looking at the world. Nevertheless We Vote will bring these voices to the street and amplify the artists’ perspectives and messages through collective action.

In association with the parade, Pred also has an exhibition up at Nancy Hoffman Gallery titled Vote Feminist, which runs through November 24.

Alessandra Modolfi, “Vote” (2018), the individual letters are two-sided life size and will be carried by four people

“Building community is a key element in my work,” said Pred on the Kickstarter website. “I’m really excited to … have this project funded by a group of people who want to experience change in our current government. It’s a great way to give back and ensure that artwork and ideas that matter to you show up in your own city.”