‘Society’s Butterflies’
Suffrage Collaborator:
Wren Polansky
1978-present
About Wren’s artwork:
A San Diego native and graduate of Scripps Women’s college, Wren has a keen interest in women’s contributions to the settlement and development of the region. Her current series borrows elements from the Victorian era such as scrapbooking, natural history collections, sillouettes, formal portraiture, and ladies fashion. This series aspires to look back consciously, touching both the dreamy and the oppressive while highlighting the range of women of different backgrounds addressed in the choreography. Scroll down to find all of the artwork Wren has made for The Suffrage Project.
Go back to the Suffrage Project click here
“For the Kumeyaay”
From Wren’s Instagram: “This piece was made more recently than the other suffrage pieces. My sister @sadiecameron & I felt that representing early San Diego women would be utterly incomplete without acknowledging native women for the @litvakdance show.
The docent at Leo Carillo homestead in Carlsbad informed me that native human remains dating 10,000 years old were discovered near the ranch. When white settlers arrived in the 19th century, claiming the land as their own, the Kumeyaay were literally hunted. Pioneers exchanged "trophies" of native people's body parts for bounty money.
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This particular image was informed by a story I read about a 19th century native child in the Santa Barbara area. The story was a rare recording of an elder woman's childhood. When she was a young girl of about seven, white raiders came into her village and slaughtered her grandparents, parents and siblings. She was so terrified, she hid in a bush where they could not see her. From her hiding place she saw her young baby sister crawling around crying. The white men picked the baby up and cut her body open, removing her heart which they threw into the bush where her older sister was hiding. After the men fled, the little girl sat frozen in the bush for many hours, cradling her baby sister's heart in her hands. How, as a white woman in San Diego, can I adequately represent a Kumeyaay woman from the 19th century? My understanding is that the native people of this area were inextricably linked to this soil. The four directions with soil samples represent the preciousness of this life connection and foundation. We have the most ecologically diverse county with the ocean to the west, desert to the east, chapparal and mountains. The native people knew all parts of this land, moving seasonally to support their livelihood.
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This is one attempt to honor and portray the vulnerability of native women during a time of unspeakable trauma.”
BELOW: “Mourning Mountain”
To hear Wren discuss “Mourning Mountain” click here
Below: “A Lady’s Seaweed Collection”
To hear Wren discuss the work inspired by Eliza “Jenny” Scripps click here
Below: “Imagined Portrait 1 through 3”
Below: “America: imagined/erased”
To hear Wren discuss her work inspired by America Newton click here
Below: “Stricken (lady lost)” and “(Im)Migration”
To hear Wren discuss her work inspired by Eileen O’Connor click here
Below: “Dot’s Ascent” and “INterlaced, Unrequited”
Interested in purchasing an piece?
Contact: Wrenpolansky@gmail.com
More about Wren:
For roughly two decades Wren has been practicing and teaching art, yoga and mindfulness meditation. Her formal education includes an MA in Counseling Psychology from the Wright Institute, graduate study in Contemplative Psychology and Art at Naropa University, and a BA in Studio Art from Scripps College. Wren has worked as an artist and educator for various establishments including: the Museum(s) of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, San Diego, La Jolla, and Boulder, Colorado and the Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland, CA, in addition to many public and private schools throughout California. As an artist, Wren has always worked in a broad range of media. One of her most frequently used tools is the camera. Viewing LITVAKdance company members through the lens on location throughout her homeland, North County San Diego, has been particularly fulfilling. Recently, Wren has had the honor of illustrating several books for Shambhala Publications: "The Awakening Body" by Reginald Ray, "The Fourth Trimester" by Kimberly Ann Johnson, and "Hip-Healthy Asana" by Charlotte Bell. Currently, she is working on a series of new mixed media works inspired by the natural world and the moving body. She is married to a traditional Irish fiddling cheese expert and is a devoted mother of two busy little boys. She loves making custom, meaningful works, and is available for commissions. She can be found at: www.wrenpolansky.com or e-mail wrenpolansky@gmail.com.
Go back to the Suffrage Project: Online