With a mission to support women artists and provide exposure and visibility of their work, Svitlana Martynjuk founded all SHE makes, a much-needed online directory of women artists from around the world. The easy-to-use platform allows you to search by artist name, discipline, and location. In addition, all SHE makes is currently planning a scholarship fund and regularly donates to the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

As an artist, a woman, and an immigrant, Svitlana is breaking barriers both in her own life and by lifting up other women through all SHE makes. Currently, there are women creatives from 30 countries represented on the site with all different backgrounds and experiences. We spoke with Svitlana about all SHE makes, the artists who inspire her, and some of the challenges women artists face today.

What is all SHE makes and when did it begin?

All SHE makes is a curated directory for women artists worldwide. There are many places to find talent, but none where professional women artists can be discovered by discipline or location. Since women artists are extremely underrepresented in galleries and museums (see research), talent searches leave an alarming majority of women artists undiscovered, unless organizations are committed to bringing equality into the art world. We are constantly working on creating and discovering more opportunities for our artists. Most recently, we worked with the World Wildlife Fund on their campaign to express appreciation for nature through art during the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day.

It was only during the past couple of years that I realized the magnitude of gender disparity in the arts (thanks to all of the amazing organizations advocating for bridging the gender gap). It was around November of last year when I really started pondering the question of where exactly we find women artists, if so many opportunities are limited to us, and decided to do something about it.

You are an artist yourself. Can you explain why you decided to branch out and start all SHE makes? 

These are issues that impact me as a human being as a whole. Being an artist is just one small aspect of me as a person, so it was about aligning with my values and those other sides of me.

Being an immigrant woman artist and learning about the lack of spaces for us in the art world was and still is disheartening. I am a woman and I barely knew of any women artists from the art courses that I took at higher education institutions. To make matters worse, I knew of only one female Ukrainian artist who is globally known (Janet Sobel). To add to the pain, Pollock took inspiration from her, and somehow, she was lost in art history after that. It just seemed like the art world was not (and still is not) welcoming of women. 

The most expensive piece of art made by a man sold at auction for $400 mil more than the most expensive piece by a woman. Why is this happening? Studies showed that people can’t tell the difference between work done by men and women, so how do these differences in how we present work by women occur?

If I’m not helping to make a difference, I am participating in this mess. I can’t stand feeling complicit.

How can an artist join the directory of all SHE makes? Please briefly describe the application process.

It’s fairly easy. We have a few calls for art throughout the year juried by different curators. People can apply via https://www.allshemakes.org/submit and there is a short form to fill out with the artist’s information, portfolio, and artist statement.

What do you think some of the challenges are facing women artists today?

Just recently I went to our local museum and was shocked by the lack of women artists in their permanent collection. The lack of cooperation from the side of major institutions is a barrier on its own. These institutions have the power to change the narrative, but they refuse to.

There are other aspects of being human, like race, marital status, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation that affect women differently. For example, there are a lot of nations without easy access to the internet where most opportunities are located nowadays, and artists living in those countries aren’t able to be a part of the broader art world at all. 

Do you believe women have made gains in the art world in the past few years? 

Yes, but the margin of difference made is not significant enough to be discussed, because of how little things have changed. That’s why we need to fight harder than ever and create more institutions that are willing to fight with us. As recently as 1970, art historians were clueless about all the women artists that existed prior to Mary Cassatt.

Which emerging women artists are currently inspiring you?

There are so many! But I do have to say Natalie Dark, Siara Berry, Orlanda Broom are some that stand out in my mind right now. They all bring something extremely unique to the table. Natalie paints with color pencils by using what is considered an insignificant medium to create masterpieces (when you find her work, you will see what I mean by “paintings with pencils”). Siara investigates the domestic narrative through rediscovering common objects. Orlanda’s captivating use of color and movement reshapes our understanding of contemporary botanicals. 

I really enjoy getting to know new artists and what drives their practice.

Which woman artist or thinker (alive or dead) would you like to meet?

Judy Chicago or Joan Mitchell (or anyone else from abstract expressionism movement). Judy Chicago is the coolest feminist artist grandma everyone wishes they had, and who keeps on breaking through barriers. 

I would love to speak with Joan about her art. The rawness of her work captivated me ever since I learned about her. 

Would you like to know how I learned about all the women artists? I used to follow Mark Rothko’s ideologies, and one day I grew curious if there were women artists during abstract expressionism, because I only knew of men from that era. Can you imagine my surprise? Nowadays I encourage people to look up a woman artist for every man artist they think of.

Do you think social media has had a positive or negative impact on the art world?

I think it depends on the purpose we assign to social media. There is a fear of it being a tool to further drive sensationalism (I’m referring to the banana taped to the wall). I see artists struggle with engagement thinking that it will make or break their careers. 

Personally, I see it as a tool to create space that is missing in the real world. So many more artists are gaining recognition and opportunities they could not have access to in their locality. It’s worth it for the community aspect of it alone! For instance, in our directory we represent artists from over 30 countries. We brought all those people together! 

What is your favorite museum or gallery to visit?

I have lovely memories of visiting Dragon Street in Dallas, TX. That little cute street is filled with more galleries that I had experienced in my entire life prior. We went on a trip there with our junior college art club, and it was such a great and inspiring opportunity for me. I’d never been to that many galleries before that, I’d never seen what professional artists’ work looked like, I’d never been exposed to art in that way before. It definitely allowed me to gain a different understanding of what the possibilities of being in the art world looked like for me.

What are you reading, watching, or listening to that you recommend?

Currently I am reading a book by Maura Reilly “Curatorial Activism,” which really shines a light on all obstacles people face in the art world and teaches you to be mindful of those as a curator. Honestly, I think it’s important for everyone to read because it allows us to see just how much more work needs to be done.

Why is art important to society, particularly in times of crisis like the current pandemic?

Not only during the pandemic but in our everyday life, our leisure activities are comprised of either sports or arts and crafts of some kind. Now, during the pandemic, we had to increase the intake of our leisure activities to replace going outside and mingling at pubs, which means more reading, writing, and watching. All of those activities are possible due to people who create them – artists. Art is all around us: architecture, textile design, product design… everywhere you point, there was a person who designed it or made it. An artist. Art is what keeps us alive. People painted inside their homes, caves, thousands of years ago. Humans like art. We like to look at pretty flowers, beautiful nature. Art fuels life and adds something fun into it when we are done sleeping, eating, and working. Art is always important.

Visit the all SHE makes website to learn more.