Alverno’s Arts & Cultures Gallery Kicks off 2016-17 Season

The Alverno College Arts & Cultures Gallery is kicking off the 2016-17 season with a powerful and provocative exhibit that represents female heroism during the Holocaust. Holocaust Heroes: Fierce Females is a four-part exhibition by artist Linda Stein. The exhibit explores the opportunities people have to resist scapegoating and discrimination, and honors the women who bravely made a difference while facing numerous horrors.

Stein, who has been obsessed with the theme of protection since 9/11, was drawn to studying the Holocaust. In her research she discovered that while many people have been recognized for their courage, less attention has been placed on the women who took a stand. The exhibition features ten original tapestries and 20 box sculptures depicting the women who risked or lost their lives. Heroic Tapestries represents different aspects of bravery during the time of the Holocaust, from Jew and non-Jew, child and adult, World War II military fighter and concentration camp smuggler, and record keeper and saboteur. Stein’s Spoon to Shell sculpture blends spoon and shell into an amalgam of materials addressing physical and emotional abuse. Protector is a mixed media piece that features a shadow of Wonder Woman, symbolizing the brave defender. The fourth part of the exhibit is a seven-minute looped video highlighting the female heroes of the time of the Holocaust.

Stein has been honored with the 2016 National Association of Women Artists award for her “Outstanding Contribution to the Arts.” Her archive is housed at Smith College.

The exhibition runs from August 24 through October 1, and will provide a catalyst for conversation, reflection, exploration and hands-on activities. In conjunction with the exhibit, Alverno will invite Milwaukee area middle and high schools for an art workshop and round table discussion on bullying, personal responsibility and heroism. For the community at large, a variety of programs and workshops are being planned through partnerships with the Jewish Community Center and the Holocaust Education Resource Center. On September 15, an opening reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. will feature a public conversation with the artist at 6 p.m.

About Alverno College

Alverno College, a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college for women, exists to promote the personal and professional development of its students. The college has earned accolades and respect internationally for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, and has consulted with three U.S. presidential administrations on accountability and outcomes in higher education. For the last six years, Alverno College was ranked one of the top five schools in the Midwest doing “the best job of educating undergrads” by U.S. News & World Report. Educators from throughout the world visit Alverno to learn about its proven, student-centered teaching methods.

Alverno offers more than 60 major areas of study, including graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology and business that are open to women and men. For more information about Alverno, visit www.alverno.edu or call 414-382-6100.