“'Girls And Horses' by Marie Laurencin stands out to me for a few reasons. First, my six year old daughter is currently in a horse-phase. I immediately thought to myself, ‘Alice would love that!’
Second, I have recently been preoccupied with questions about women, power, agency, and relationships. The current political climate both here and abroad gives me pause and has me quite concerned—something about women really scares some people. As such, we are continually advocating for our status as empowered, educated, and equal. There is a lot of activism in play, just to continue working towards women being legitimately seen and heard.
I love how 'Girls And Horses' depicts a group of women together. They are soft and beautiful and, in a way, barely there because it is so delicate. I like that they exist despite not having hard lines to define them. They’re defined by different increments of colour and shade. There is grounding in their togetherness.
I was also delighted to read about Marie Laurencin’s independence and avant-garde life and work. Even as a cubist, she evolved into her own style and spent her career exploring femininity throughout her career. I celebrate how she often picked women as her subjects, and represents them as simultaneously soft and strong.”
Sarah Chan (MA) is a piano teacher, social advocate, and mother of two. She makes her living running a private piano studio, but she commits her life to helping build community alongside her partner, Mayor Don Iveson. As a social advocate, Sarah leads by example, acting as a role model and ambassador in the empowerment of girls and inspiring youth to lead, through her community outreach.
A community-minded individual, Sarah is engaged in many undertakings to help others achieve success in school and in life. She is a Big Sister with Big Brothers, Big Sisters; Director of Corporate Relations of Apricity; She is an Honorary Patron for YESS; A grateful user and supporter of Edmonton Public Library; And, a member of the Mentor team at Peter Lougheed Leadership College (UofA).
Image credit:
Marie Laurencin
Girls And Horses, 1927
Watercolour and pencil on paper
Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, Bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Burton Munson, 1985