LIBERATION HEROES

A collection celebrating the vibrant spirit of everyday English life.

Everyone has stories to tell about their own experiences, or about people who they have met or encountered on their journey.

We would love to hear those stories and create a version of them with art. We want you to help us do that. By sharing your stories we can inspire and support others. You create a legacy in art that can be seen by future generations.

We are gathering stories to help us create authentic characters in our art collection. Women who have felt invisible at times, who have struggled to be recognised for their worth. We want to hear the stories of our generation, and our mothers and grandmother’s generation. We want you to be part of the big picture.

It is 1989.

It is 1989. A young black usher shows cinema goers to their seats. She always wanted to be an actress on the West End, but there are no role models who look like her.

The film is Cleopatra, featuring an Arabic woman played by a white actress.

It is 1978

It is 1978. A woman in her thirties stands on the front step of her terraced house. She is reminiscing about her first love, we see her caught in a moment between the brutality of her present, and the nostalgia of her past.

Your story inspires Liberation St Art.

As part of our initial collection of 40 artworks themed around women from the past century, we want to draw inspiration from a select group of 20 women in Greater Manchester who have played pivotal roles in their industries, sectors, organisations, or communities. We aim to encourage these women to share stories about their experiences and the experiences of women in their professional lives. We would love to use these narratives to create fictional characters for the collection.

Creating art with these women offers several benefits:

Visibility and Recognition: Their stories and contributions will be highlighted, bringing attention to their achievements and impact within their industries and communities.
Legacy: The artwork will serve as a lasting tribute, preserving their stories and experiences for future generations.
Empowerment and Validation: Sharing their experiences and seeing them transformed into art can be a powerful validation of their journeys and struggles.
Inspiration: Their stories can inspire others, particularly young women, to pursue their ambitions and overcome obstacles.
Community and Connection: Participating in this project can create a sense of community and connection among the women involved, fostering solidarity and mutual support.
Cultural Contribution: Their stories will contribute to a richer, more diverse cultural narrative, enhancing the broader understanding of women's roles and experiences over the past century.
Professional Acknowledgment: Being part of an art collection can also be a form of professional acknowledgment, showcasing their importance in their respective fields.

We would love to know:

1. What industry / sector do you work in?

E.g. Law, Sport, Beauty influencer, Health

2. How long have you worked in this sector?

3. Do you specialise in a particular area or have an area of interest?
Eg Family law, athletics, skin care, women’s health.

4. Who are your people / community? Who do you spend time working with? E.g. lawyers, competitors, influencers, doctors.

5. Who do you serve? Whose stories do you hear? Who are your followers? E.g. separated parents aged 30-45, sports fans and followers aged 13- 30, Gen Z women, mature women

6. Do you have an interest / experience in a particular community?
E.g. Neurodiversity, Black or Asian community, LGBQT community, supporting women, assisting elderly, working class community etc

7. In your sector / industry are there any women leaders who stand out as having helped other women to succeed, either in history over the last 100 years, or currently?

8.What are the struggles faced by women in your industry to be seen and respected for their contribution?
E.g. gender pay gap, lack of equality, access to education, expectations by society.

9. What are some common experiences faced by the people you serve / followers with regards to being visible, seen or accepted in society?
E.g. poverty and access to support, lack of representation in the industry (due to race, gender, disabilities etc), social isolation, inequalities due to location, access to resources etc.