Resurrecting Matilda is a collaborative project by Los Angeles artists Mary Anna Pomonis and Allison Stewart.
Inspired by the stories left out of mandated textbook curriculum. The Resurrecting Matilda series focuses on the historical erasure of women from academic discourse. The phenomenon, The Matilda Effect was named for the women’s-rights activist Matilda Joslyn Gage, and refers to the erasure of female scientists who have been left out of textbooks and their accomplishments credited to their male peers. The photographs explore the timeline of female historical erasures from the Sumerian poet Enheduanna, the world’s first recorded author, to Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who argued and won Roe v Wade at the age of 27.
The female participants were asked to identify a heroine they could embody in a portrait re-enactment photo. A special focus was placed on women the participants felt were left out of the historical metanarrative. The women collaborated to create the costumes and poses exhibited in the series. The participants thus far have been female-identifying artists, writers, and academics chosen widely from a diversity of cultures. Many have contributed quotes and texts to share about the historic women they have chosen to embody.
For more information on creators Mary Anna Pomonis and Allision Stewart, visit there websites at www.MaryAnnaPomonis.com and www.Allison-Stewart.com.
For more information on Resurrecting Matilda visit www.resurrectingmatilda.com/about