Ann George
In examining the word suffrage as a starting point to begin gathering inspiration for A Yellow Rose Project, I was intrigued by the source of the word. "Suffrage" has been used since the 14th century to mean "prayer" (especially a prayer requesting divine help or intercession). Its Latin ancestor, suffragium, means prayers or petition for prayers. It seems a long way from the current Webster definition, a vote given in deciding a controverted question or electing a person for an office or trust. Or is it?
The more I examined the plight of these women of the suffrage movement both before and after the ratification of the 19th amendment, it became clear. Equality for all humans, regardless of race creed or religion, IS a prayer, even today. It is my prayer.
The "suffragium" petition of prayers offered by these brave and passionate women for the right to vote still resonate. The ability to embroider themselves into the governance of our country with the Vote and by the Vote as a primary right of citizenship paved the way for demands for gender equality in aspects of society by proposing the first Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 1921. A definition of answered prayer. God bless these women, and God bless America!
"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them." —Sojourner Truth; May 1851, "Ain't I a Woman?"
Ann George grew up in a small Louisiana town with people and places that grounded her roots deep into the southern soil and her heart into its fertile personality. She uses photography as a means to celebrate her native Louisiana as well as the people, places, and stories that move her. Her critics say her photographic approach is mysterious and poetic and continues a pictorial tradition important in the history of photography.
Ann has won numerous awards both nationally and internationally. Her work has been published in multiple periodicals and books and has been acquired in many private collections. She has exhibited in the United States and abroad including Argentina and Australia and Europe.
Selected to present and lecture at the prestigious Annenberg Gallery in Los Angeles, keynote speaker for Camera Craftsman Of America international conference in Quebec and many other venues, she shares readily her inspiration and recipes for image making.
Ann creates images that call to her vintage eye, propelling her to seek different approaches and techniques in the camera, in the computer, in printing, and in paint.
“I make a humble attempt to portray the role of inspirational storyteller through imagery. There is a certain language I know that art communicates and it’s not with words. There is a rhythm, a diction and symbols that represent feelings and emotions that speak this language, the language of art.”
instagram: @anngeorgephotography
