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She. We. They: The Women Show

Touchstones exhibit celebrates Nelson women past and present
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Several hundred Nelson women, past and present, are featured on two walls of the exhibition. Photo: Bill Metcalfe

She. We. They: The Women Show opened at Touchstones on March 10 and runs until May 27.

The exhibit consists of many photos of Nelson women, a detailed timeline of the accomplishments of Nelson women starting in the 1800s, and a variety of historical photos. The Star asked some of the women at the packed opening night for their reaction.

“I think this is a marvellous representation of the women of Nelson. We can be proud of these women and, as you can see, they are proud of Nelson.” — Frances Welwood

“It is beautiful timing, opening on Women’s Day. We have got so many hidden gems of really rich stories and really brave histories sitting right in this little pocket of the Kootenays. There was a sense of that the minute I walked in the room.” — Krista Lynch

“One of the things that struck me is how much work on behalf of this community these people represent, across the sectors: cultural, political social, economic — the contribution this collective group of women has made. Blows me away.” — Jocelyn Carver

“I feel empowered but shocked. Shocked that it took this long for all this change to come about. It is cool to see it all lined up in a tangible way. It’s beautiful.” — Dominique Adams

“It is really nice to see the women of Nelson acknowledged. I love the history and I love what it has brought to us so far. It is bringing us into the future and it is pretty amazing. Women do it. Yay!” — Mary Defeo

“I like the educational piece, with lots of information. My mind is expanded.” — Stephanie Lagace

“It’s a feeling of inspiration and support and excitement to be part of this community that is home of all these powerful women and I am feeling really good about that.” — Annora Clapp

“It is really great to be celebrated as loving, strong women.” — Nancy Rosenblum

“Makes me feel good. Acknowledgement, we see some of these people every day, to have their faces there, it deepens it. I feel gratitude.” — Alison Talbot Kelly

Here’s a statement from the curator of the exhibit, Arin Fay:

“The aim of the exhibit was to illustrate both a broad representation of the women’s movement (shown in the bottom portion of the timeline) echoed and embellished and personalized by regional and community curated content - which made up the upper portion of the timeline and the rest of the room, including the portraits. I wanted to show diversity and the impact and intersection of passion and politics. This exhibition contains content from all points of the Kootenay/Columbia Basin - from Fernie to Rossland and Revelstoke and all points in between - past and present, and I wanted to give a sense of the legacy of the subject matter. For every portrait and piece of information on the wall there are hundreds and thousands more.”



bill.metcalfe@nelsonstar.com

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The show includes a detailed timeline of the accomplishments of women in the Nelson area since the 1800s. Several hundred Nelson women, past and present, are featured on two walls of the exhibition. Photo: Bill Metcalfe
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Bill Metcalfe

About the Author: Bill Metcalfe

I have lived in Nelson since 1994 and worked as a reporter at the Nelson Star since 2015.
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