The Female Power Project

Three magnet designs in the perSISTERS series

If women aren’t perceived to be within the structure of power, isn’t it power itself we need to redefine?

– Mary Beard, Women and Power, A Manifesto

Remember your heroes. Remember your powers.

—from Rebecca Solnit

One of the less intuitive revelations of recent work in cognitive science is that a failure of imagination can actually produce a failure of vision

—Lili Loofbourow, referencing the work of Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons on implicit bias, in her article “The Male Glance”

The Female Power Project is an art project started in 2015 by word and digital artist, Leda Black. Physically, it is made up of several series of objects: prints, ephemera, wearables, and mixed medium artworks. Phenomenologically, it is an interaction-based mechanism for producing and releasing messages designed to expand our understanding of, and to promote, the power of women. As Dolores Huerta says: OUR POWER IS IN OUR STORIES.

Inspired by the powers of human and divine females, I have created these objects to represent a person as well as her attributes and message—or power—in words and images. The perSISTERS series reminds us of the positive actions women use to improve all of our lives. Because of the history of women’s oppression, these actions are often heroic and are messages we should celebrate. The shawls, scarves, and garments allow us to wear, and virtually to embody, the powers of exalted females. Women’s experience is human experience.

Information on how to order pieces in the Female Power Project

I have an Etsy site with a lot of my work, but if you see something here on my blog that isn’t up there, you can contact me directly and I will email you an invoice and then ship. I would also love to hear from you about your heroes and powerful stories you’ve heard about women. Please also feel free to send me stories about how you have used these works, what conversations they have started, and pictures of where you’ve put them.

A portion of the proceeds goes to resonant charities.

I’m Selling in Person!

Find me at Eastern Market in Washington DC and various street festival and pop-ups in the region. Follow me on social media for the latest updates on where you can find me.

Here is a picture of one of my Female Power Hut installations from November 2019.

Scarves and Shawls

Here is a handy summary page picturing all the designs. I am phasing out the cotton and silk versions to be replaced by polyester chiffon. They have rolled-serged seams around the edges.

You can order them directly from me if you don’t see them on my Etsy site! Just send me a message here (include your name, email, and the address you want me to ship to, as well as which pieces you would like to buy) and I will send you a Paypal invoice which will include the shipping cost (likely to be $5.00 for U.S. destinations). I will ship when your payment goes through.

perSISTERS Prints and ephemera

Here is a page showing posts about the perSISTERS designs I am creating.

Posts about the Female Power Project (newest to oldest)

Here are the posts I have written about this evolving project, most recent productions listed at the top. It began as a project to make shawls and scarves to “wear” the powers represented. After the 2016 election and the 2017 women’s march, I started producing quicker, more graphic, positive protest designs to be presented as posters and cards and stickers (now called perSISTERS). Some of these I have listed for sale on my Etsy site. If you see something here that I don’t have on the shop you can contact me directly or drop by my studio, Black Lab, in Washington, DC (when it is safe to do so!). Info on Contact! page. I have also produced mixed media fine art pieces in the Female Power Project series.

I Make Things Out of Words, Mostly