Pictured: Jill's Jewels by Susan Klein. Photo courtesy of SPAACES Art Gallery.

On May 3, an exhibition that only could have originated in Sarasota is coming to the SPAACES Art Gallery. Women Artists: Courage in the Lifelong Pursuit of Art Making will highlight the work of the Petticoat Painters, one of the longest tenured continuously exhibiting women’s art groups in the country.

The group, which consists of 20 female artists from the Sarasota-area, was created in 1953 as a reaction to the inequality experienced by women artists–it was a time where women struggled to not only find venues to show their work, but to gain adequate compensation for it as well. What started as a one-off show featuring seven women who dubbed themselves the “Petticoat Painters” has evolved into a tight-knit community that has lasted for over 70 years. To be a member of the Petticoat Painters is not an easy feat, one has to reside in the Sarasota area and be invited to join. The group celebrates that its members include artists of diverse styles and visual mediums and serves as a support base for these select female creators. The Petticoat Painters stand for more than just their elite membership, however, as the collective aims to push for further exposure and equality for women artists.

One of the members who will be showing at the SPAACES exhibition is Jana Millstone, a New York City born and bred artist who moved to Sarasota in 2014 and was invited to join the Petticoat Painters soon after. Millstone, an accomplished artist whose work spans various mediums including painting and textiles, can attest to the support she has received from the group as a woman artist. “The issue of women’s exhibition has been a long one and the group is almost 72 years old. While women are now finding more opportunities for exhibition, the parity of pay and general career track for very established female artists is still nowhere near their male counterparts,” says Millstone. “There’s definitely still a need for this kind of camaraderie. It’s really easy to get sidetracked in an art career, particularly for women, because you often have to balance family requirements with the time needed to put into your art as a creative person. The Petticoat Painters are people that have my back and share the challenges and peculiar joys of making art.”

May 3 to June 1, Opening Night Reception May 3, 6-8pm, SPAACES Art Gallery, 2051 Princeton St, Sarasota. 

Pictured: Jill's Jewels by Susan Klein. Photo courtesy of SPAACES Art Gallery.

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