BATON ROUGE, LA.- The Louisiana Art & Science Museum will premiere Diamonds of History: Mighty Women by Ashley Longshore on September 30th, the night of the museum’s 60th Anniversary Gala, in the museum’s Main Gallery. Diamonds of History: Mighty Women by Ashley Longshore will showcase vibrant portraits of impactful women from Harriet Tubman to Hedy Lamarr to Malala Yousafzai. The exhibition will be on view through January 2023.
Diamonds of History: Mighty Women by Ashley Longshore will feature a selection of portraits from Longshore's Mighty Women that was first exhibited in collaboration with legendary fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg for her flagship store in New York City. The series will highlight the contributions, struggles, and triumphs of 29 influential women from the past and today as depicted by New Orleans-based artist Ashley Longshore. This exhibition will trace the lives and the impact that these heroines have had on society through their work in the arts, sciences, political sphere, and beyond.
“Ashley’s ‘Mighty Women’ resonate so well with our educational mission, especially when focusing on these women who have emancipated themselves from historically narrow and regulated career paths,” states LASM President and Executive Director Serena Pandos, who joined the staff in 2019 on the tails of the first and second museum top leaders, Adalié Brent and Carol Gikas. “Our greatest hope is that this exhibition will be a springboard for opening up dialogue about the important role women have in cultivating a civil society.”
Painted in Longshore’s signature colorful style, the women featured in the exhibition have been trailblazers, shifting the course of history despite adversity -- just as carbon only transforms into a diamond under extreme pressure. Longshore has also created a colorful “Gem” painting that will debut at LASM’s exhibition to highlight the women whose portraits are on view and are true “Diamonds of History,” whose persistent sparkle will never fade.
“Now more than ever, it’s important to know not just these women’s incredible accomplishments, but also how they dealt with adversity,” says Longshore, who has gone on to meet and even befriend some of her portrait subjects, from Gloria Steinem to Iman. “Personally, I need to be surrounded by these women; I need them in my life. So the fact that LASM was excited to hold this big celebration and include these magnificent women just makes me really happy.”
The Louisiana Art & Science Museum's annual exhibition program, including the presentation of Diamonds of History: Mighty Women by Ashley Longshore, is generously sponsored by Entergy. Diamonds of History: Mighty Women by Ashley Longshore is also generously supported by a Louisiana Attraction Support Grant through the Louisiana Office of Tourism of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism of the State of Louisiana. Check out lasm.org for more information.
