Human Interest
As women, everyday we have to roam this earth dripped in the essence of who we are, all while being undervalued and undermined at every turn. From the lack of women in power, to patriarchy, sexism, racism, and economic inequality, we are often forced to dig deep into our magic, just to know that it's there.
But self-belief is a superpower. And through each obstacle, we are reminded—by triumph—that our actual self-belief, is that all women have superpowers.
I'm not sure anyone believes this more than sisters, Danyelle and Dionna Gray, the amazing ladies behind the WOMANISH exhibit. These ladies took on the massive task of curating a game-changing 40,000-square-foot revolutionary exhibit, with 16 exploratory rooms, all packaged and themed to overload your badass, female senses.
In the heart of Downtown Chicago, this interactive celebration of all things feminine, hosts five floors of rooms carefully crafted to encourage conversation, change, and imagination, with names such as the PARTYISH room, the PAIDISH room, and so much more. This exhibit has championed the marriage of creativity and message. #hello
Think of it as similar to the Museum of Ice Cream, or Refinery29's 29Rooms, but instead, with all female perspective.
"This is for everyone and all womxn, but Danyelle and I wanted to make sure that Black womxn knew that this was done by Black womxn and you're going to be specifically celebrated in here," the ladies tell Chicago Tribune. "Our hope is when Black womxn walk past, it's like 'Yasss!' It's very picturesque, but you can tell that this is done by two Black womxn because of the different touches we have. The paid-ish room refers to the pay gap between men and womxn. Everything is very Instagrammable, but our (exhibit) is purposeful ... conversation starters meant to inspire you."
And both a conversation and inspo is definitely had. Whether the illuminated fluorescent floors, or the shopper's room featuring a receipt detailing how grossly underpaid women are, this highly Instagrammable experience, is unapologetically here to make its impact.
"We made it our life's mission to support women and create safe, uplifting, and simply FUN environments to connect in. After years of growth in supporting women by hosting podcasts, workshops, and events, we decided to take our overall mission to the next level. Together we've built a team of progressive women who were already pushing the barrier of experiences in Chicago, and with whom we shared our mission. We wanted to connect women living here--and beyond--and we developed WOMANISH as a movement that breaks single-definition stereotypes of being a woman and celebrating various womxn's perspectives through the interactive art of experiences."
Below are a few photos from a direct look inside:
Change the game, ladies!
WOMANISH runs September 3-November 8. Tickets, $35, are on sale now. Ages two and under are free. Guests aged 4 and over are required to bring and wear their own masks.
Feature image courtesy of Danyelle Gray
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