An exhibition celebrating the bold, brilliant and boundary-breaking women who have shaped Sunderland has opened at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens.
Rebel Women of Sunderland celebrates extraordinary local women, past and present, incorporating activists and artists to campaigners, pioneers and trailblazers. The exhibition, at the Museum’s main gallery until Saturday, August 1, brings their achievements into focus through immersive storytelling, vibrant visuals and a compelling podcast series.
At the free exhibition’s heart are the instantly recognisable illustrations of Sunderland artist Kathryn Robertson. Her striking visual style captures the resilience, individuality and spirit of each featured woman.
Alongside Kathryn’s work, the Rebel Women podcast series (produced by the University of Sunderland’s Professor Caroline Mitchell, We Make Culture and Lucky Penny Audio) gives voice to stories of the women adding depth and intimacy to the exhibition experience.
It is enriched by a range of creative responses from female artists across the city. Pink-Collar Gallery, a Sunderland-based pop-up founded by curator Michaela Wetherell, presents recent projects including a creative workshop programme led by artist Tallulah Lines with women supported by Wearside Women in Need, and Her Mark, a calligraphy project led by Auburn Langley exploring the overlooked creative legacies of medieval women.
Researcher in Residence at the University of Sunderland Sophie Piper introduces the work of Eileen “Dusty” Deste, an accomplished yet overlooked twentieth-century photographer. Visitors can interact with Eileen’s 1961 photographs of Sunderland’s Pyrex Factory, rearranging them to explore how narratives of women’s work are shaped and reshaped.
Jennie Lambert, Public Engagement & Learning Manager at the Museum, said: “The exhibition also features work by the Older Women’s Artist Collective and Southwick Research Education Arts and Culture Home (REACH). It’s an amazing exhibition about extraordinary women – a group of women of whom the city should be proud.” For more information, go to https://www.sunderlandculture.org.uk/whats-on/rebel-women-of-sunderland/