littlefield is an all-vaccinated event space. Here are the entry requirements for all patrons and performers for all events:

• Everyone is required to wear a mask when not actively eating or drinking
• Everyone is required to show valid proof of full COVID-19 vaccination (examples: physical CDC vaccination card, clear photo of the CDC card, digital vaccine passport such as the Excelsior Pass, NYC COVID Safe, and CLEAR Health Pass)
• Everyone is required to show valid photo ID (examples: state ID or passport)

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EVE, MEDUSA, ET AL.

PAINTINGS BY JENNA JERMAN

My work is a representation of women’s anger in the United States, and how it is perceived and denied by others. Often maligned for its corrosive, forceful power, anger is an inherently hopeful emotion that implies the possibility of transformation and change, towards justice and freedom. These works attempt to capture those qualities of anger. They go beyond the personal expression of anger to capture the collective experience of how it feels, and what it means, to deny women’s anger.

With 15+ years of experience in working to expand abortion access, I am interested in developing a visual language for exposing the structural and systemic forms of power and oppression that restrict individual’s ability to shape their own lives and reproductive futures. I believe that feeling, honoring, and applying both individual and collective anger are critical for catalyzing social change, especially for abortion access.

Biomorphic forms, snakes, and ultrasounds are common in my work, all in reference to women’s sexual and reproductive freedom. In popular mythology, there are several instances in which the imagery of the snake appears when a woman’s bodily autonomy have been violently violated by a man. Often, the snake is interpreted as a symbol of fear and monstrosity, and that monstrosity is both subtly and overtly linked to women’s anger. The implication is that women’s anger is wrong, and should be avoided, conquered, or annihilated.

In contrast, the snake in my work is a source of power, lying in wait. It is inextricable from women’s humanity, intimately intertwined with biomorphic shapes that are both beautiful and grotesque, evocative of women’s sexual and reproductive organs and tissues. The snake demands to be looked at; women’s anger demands to be seen in my work.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jenna Jerman is a Brooklyn-based artist and abortion rights scholar and activist. Her work explores the power of women’s anger, often using mediums that are fluid, luminous, and that resist control, including acrylic, ink, watercolor, and encaustic. With a background in public health, Jenna has worked in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights for over 15 years. The majority of her career has focused on advancing access to abortion rights and services, including significant contributions to the scientific literature of abortion access, and as an expert in abortion access strategy for a national healthcare organization. This background heavily informs and influences her artwork, and provides an outlet for fostering hope.

Instagram: @jennajerman | Website: https://www.jennajerman.com

Opening reception to be held on Saturday, January 22, 2022 from 4pm to 7pm. This exhibit will run through March 2022.

Fifty percent (50%) of all proceeds from the sale of these works will be donated to Brigid Alliance to support patients traveling for abortion care. For sales inquiries or any questions, please visit jennajerman.com/contact.