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Stepping Outside the Box
Women Beyond Borders Unites Women on Journey Around the Globe
Niki Richards - The Independent
June 24, 1999, p. 43.

 

Art is derived from the Latin word artis, meaning "to join together." But, rarely, it seems, does art fully live up to its definition. Alienation, egocentrism, and elitism plague our culture and, by extension, our creative spirit. Thank God there are exceptions! A great credit to Santa Barbara, one of the most powerful examples of what art is and what it can be was born in our midst seven years ago.

Jana Zimmer, For Ritta

The "inspiration" of Lorraine Serena, Elena Siff, and a handful of other Santa Barbara artists, Women Beyond Borders began as a grassroots collaboration, but now spans the globe uniting women through art. Guided by these visionary women, WBB has returned to its essence. "There is an unselfish sacredness to Women Beyond Borders," observed participating artist Rose Bilat. "It has to do with the whole world...It has nothing to do with the self and the ego. That is the beauty and the message." A humble cedar box was the seed from which this unprecedented artistic endeavor blossomed to both celebrate and equalize the diverse experiences of women.

The box is a universal symbol. As a void that waits to be filled, the box conjures the potential of a womb, the surprise of a gift, the mystery of a buried treasure, the unseen power of a shrine, as well as the safe embrace of a warm hearth. Alongside these potent metaphors for Woman, the box-- with its squared and sturdy walls-- simultaneously reminds us of the barriers women have overcome in order to express their creativity. Aptly, the box presented itself to WBB as an artistic vehicle and a point of departure to inspire all women to raise their voices and share their visions.

Kathryn Susannah Peck, Sor Juana

Initially distributed to over 200 artists in 36 countries, including Cuba, Tibet, Russia, and Vietnam, WBB's miniature boxes have found their way around political and geographic obstacles and into the hands of more than 500 artists, curators, and sponsors who have given the project a "life of its own." The ongoing exhibition continues to expand as requests for boxes flood in from women who want to share in the community emerging around WBB. An "underground" WBB also contributes to the vitality of the movement as exquisite boxes arrive unexpectedly and spin-off projects reach a growing number of women. Stepping further outside of the boundaries that often confine art, WBB boxes have been exhibited along their cross-cultural journey not only in numerous galleries and museums, but also at a temple in Nepal, on a train from Graz, Austria to St. Petersburg, Russia, and, yes, at a mall in Canada.

Seyburn Zorthian, Dragon Box

MESSAGE IN A BOX: Lorraine Serena has served as the selfless steward of this synergistic movement that has transformed many lives over the past decade. Working from her studio in Carpinteria, she has watched WBB grow from a dream into a thriving phenomenon. She has fueled WBB with an undaunted passion that is contagious. Yet Serena is quick to remind anyone that WBB is much larger than any one woman; its power is drawn from the collective. "Women Beyond Borders is about inclusion, not exclusion, " she said.

Lorraine delights in letting each box and its creator speak for herself. With no direction other than the box itself, the imagination grabs hold of an opportunity to explore the limits of artistic and personal freedom.

Some boxes are transformed almost beyond recognition as in Austrian artist Renate Habinger's "Of Sticks a Stack-- a Stake (a Failure?)." Here the box has been shredded to create a stack of wood that Habinger pronounces "too small for burning witches, too small for celebrating heroes, but small enough for the kindling of a stirring idea." An antique camera disguises a box in one of the only husband/wife co-creations by local artists Wayne and Penny McCall. In "The Soul of Woman Is Round," by Janna Syvanoja (Finland), on the other hand, naked tennis balls symbolizing Woman burst forth from the unaltered box that neither fits their physical forms nor can contain their unbounded spirits.

Renate Habinger, Of Sticks a Stack --(a failure?)

Each box has a unique voice that tells the poignant tale of one woman, but together they capture the shared plights and passions of all women. "Therefore we find (in Women Beyond Borders) an extraordinary labor of hundreds of women joining their wills to discover something that we all have in common: the desire to express deep feeling through art, " concludes Mexican poet Margarita Dalton.

The premiere exhibition of WBB was held at the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum in 1995. Now, many boxes, many travels, and many women later, a selection of boxes from far reaches of the world returns home to Santa Barbara and to CAF for a benefit exhibition entitled, Lending a Hand. For the first time, boxes by area and international celebrities, as well as by emerging and established artists, will be available through a silent auction. The funds raised will assist in transporting the exhibition around the world. Opening this Saturday, the boxes will be exhibited through August 29, Lorraine Serena will share her experiences with WBB on July 24 at 12:15 p.m. For more information call CAF at 966-5373.