WomenArts Executive Director Martha Richards

Since I will be celebrating my 65th birthday this Sunday, I have been reflecting on the fact that I am one of the few people I know who has had the same job for the past twenty years.

I can still remember the initial conversations about forming WomenArts in 1994, and how excited I was the first time I signed my name as the Executive Director.  To celebrate my birthday and the twentieth anniversary of WomenArts this year, I want to encourage all of you who are looking for satisfying work to search for ways to follow your dreams as I have done.

I am not saying that this is an easy path. If someone wanted to invent a system for making people miserable, our current arts funding mechanisms would be the perfect role models. Instead of focusing on our creative work, we are forced to spend hours and hours writing proposals that are often rejected. The system not only wastes our time, it makes us feel guilty that we didn’t waste it well enough to get paid a living wage.

Nevertheless, I am here to tell you that I love my job.   My work with WomenArts has given me the opportunity to meet women artists all over the world who are using their creativity to address the major issues of our time – civil rights, reproductive rights, income inequality, the environment, war, peace, and countless other topics.  These women are wonderful, thoughtful, caring human beings who give me hope for the future.  When I see them persevering and doing great work in spite of all the obstacles, it inspires me to do the same.

The Worldwide Movement is Growing

I am also encouraged by the steady increase in the number of advocacy groups for women artists recently. When we started twenty years ago, WomenArts was often a lonely voice, but now we are collaborating with groups all over the world.

For instance, here in California, I am serving with a dozen colleagues on a Gender Parity Committee that was formed last year by Theatre Bay Area, one of the largest theatre alliances in the U.S. Last month, a representative of the Canadian Playwrights Guild wrote to me that they were joining with other leading Canadian arts organizations to launch an “Equity in Theatre” initiative for their women artists. They asked if WomenArts would partner with them and if I knew any other groups that might be interested. I was able to say yes, there are groups doing excellent work in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and elsewhere. With each new group that joins this effort, I feel more confident that we will ultimately prevail.

WomenArts Started Small

I want to emphasize the point that WomenArts started with a small group of women gathering in my kitchen and talking about our dreams.  Once we started talking we were able to identify positive steps we could take to move towards our goals.  We may not be able to establish full equality for women artists in our lifetimes, but at least we have the satisfaction of knowing that we tried and that we moved the cause forward as much as we could.

You Can Do It!

I encourage all of you to do the same this holiday season. Take time to think about what you would like to accomplish in the coming year and then figure out whether there are people who could help you. Maybe you will gather with friends to start a new organization as I did twenty years ago, or maybe you will create some ambitious new work or plan a spectacular event for Support Women Artists Now Day.  Whatever it is, please know that there are women here at WomenArts and all over the world who are rooting for you to succeed.

Take Time To Thank Your Favorite Women Artists

I have one more birthday wish.  As you are sending out your holiday greetings, please take a few moments to contact your favorite women artists and tell them what you love about their work.  This simple action is much more powerful than you might think.  I have learned that you can often give someone the courage to keep working or try something new just by listening to them carefully, acknowledging their hard work, and finding kind, supportive things to say.

The more we cheer each other on, the stronger we will all become!

Best Wishes for the Holidays,
Martha Richards, Executive Director, WomenArts