Inspire Art
We asked women artists all over the world to create art inspired by the work of Girls Education Nation. Their work is featured across our organization, on our merchandise and marketing materials, in our internal documents and systems. We are so grateful for these artists who donated their time and talents to show the world, through their eyes, what GEN means.
Mary Grace
"This art piece was created to represent the core values of Girl Education Nation - sustainable programs to empower the women and children of South Siberia through funding , therapy, and mentorship.
GEN Puts tools directly into the hands of women and children s they can confidently step into their own futures. I wanted to convey a sense of mentorship and having the resources people need right at their fingertips."
Caroline Magoc
"I was inspired to create this art by the mission and symbolism of GEN: their support for girls' education and their use of edelweiss to represent the resilience and ability of girls to bloom no matter where they're planted. This is captured in the foreground edelweiss flowers. The colors–blue being a symbol for introspection and wisdom–reference the internal transformation that comes along with reading, also embodied by the central figure.
The background was inspired by the Slavic heritage inherent to this organization. The Tree of Life, sacred to many peoples, is a Slavic representation of wisdom as well as connection to the divine. While the more subtle crescent moon symbolizes Devana, the goddess and "Mother of the Forest." She is a figure who reminds us to stay true to our more feminine, free spirits even as we (as women) obtain the education to thrive in a more rational, tamer world."
Elizaveta Kakunina
"I wanted to show the helping hand that GEN has become to so many people. It is the supporting hand you can lean on. In my art I wanted to portray mystery - we don't know who is helping who, the child helping the woman or the woman helping the child. In this same way GEN helps people from places they don't know and cannot see."
Irina F
Irina F is a student of medicine living in South Siberia, Russia. Her passion for art started a a young age when she discovered she could create her own worlds. "You can do a lot with actions, sometimes more than you can say with words. In my artwork, I showed facial expressions - showing strength, weakness, and aggression." The work of GEN helps women in different circumstances, either giving them strength, support, or even helping them identify, within themselves, what it is they need.
