Earlier this year, the Carter Burden Gallery in Manhattan opened an exhibition titled “Women Leading the Way: A National Student Art & Women’s History Exhibition.” The exhibition was originally supposed to open in-person in 2020 to mark the centennial of the 19th amendment’s ratification, guaranteeing women the right to vote. The exhibit features work from students. Out of the 30 schools that participated, works from Townsend Harris’s class of 2020 were among those showcased in person for the first time this spring.

According to exhibition curator Mireille Miller, a teacher at NYC Primary School Lycée Français de New York, the exhibition seeks to push individuals to “value connections, [especially] intergenerational connections between people within their own family, and also understand that they are a part of history.” Ms Miller said the submissions made by Harrisites showcased “exceptional” work, noting that THHS “participated the most, in terms of quantity and quality.”

Assistant director of Carter Burden Gallery Sarah Leon mentioned that unlike the gallery’s usual exhibitions where most works presented are from “older professional artists,” this exhibition is unique in that it specifically displays works by “young artists [and] students.” 

AP United States History and AP Government teacher Charlene Levi had her 2020 students submit artwork to the exhibition. “I was motivated to have students submit their work to this gallery because it presented a unique opportunity for them to engage with history in a meaningful way. The 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage is a significant milestone, and I wanted my students to contribute to the narrative by sharing their stories and research about inspiring women,” she said. 

Gallery • 4 Photos

Mahir Fuad

Artwork by Class of 2020 Alumni Rova Raveloson and Yasmin Hasan Torres showcased in person at the exhibition earlier this year.

“As someone who has created art all my life, it made me very happy and proud to know that my work was being displayed in a Manhattan gallery,” said alumna Amanda Renzi, whose art was featured in the exhibit. “I didn’t pursue fine arts in college, so I thought that the potential for an opportunity like this was behind me.”

Ms. Leon said that this exhibition mainly focuses on the larger women suffrage movement and gives representation to the overlooked feminist activists of the mid 19th century.

Alumnus Rova Raveloson shared on the exhibit’s website what he learned through his research on Danish Women’s rights activities Matilde Bajer, who he drew for the exhibition. He said, “It is unreal to think about the countless number of men and women who have all walked such different paths of life in order to accomplish the same goal.” He said that he “definitely gained a greater respect for suffragettes.” 

Apart from high school students, Ms. Miller’s fifth grade class at the time also contributed to the exhibition. According to Ms. Miller, her fifth grade students had to research the first woman in their family to vote. Ms Miller said that she would like others to realize “you can address serious subjects like this with kids who are 10 years old and older. They understand. And I think it is important that they learn early the importance of human rights.” 

When asked about one key takeaway from the exhibit, Ms.Miller said that she “wanted  [the project] to make people understand that even the voiceless had a voice.”