My Favorite Feminists My Favorite Feminists

We're back! In the first episode of season 4, Milena & Megan cover Danish seismologist, geophysicist & 'the master of a black art' Inge Lehmann (1888 - 1993) & Ukrainian national treasure, painter Maria Prymachenko (1909 - 1997)

In this end of season episode Milena & Megan cover Brazilian educator, activist and ceramic artist Celeida Tostes (1929 – 1995) & Native American archaeologist Bertha Parker (1907–1978)



















Celeida Tostes













One thing you’ll learn today about Megan that you didn’t need to know, is that as a ceramic artist there are times she wants to cover herself in clay. Well, today we’re talking about an artist that did just that. While Megan is driven by the primal urge to become one with the earth, today we learn the rich symbolism that prompted Brazilian artist Celeida Tostes to create her most iconic work – the 1979 performance piece Passage. This piece is only once of many artworks this prolific artist created in her decades long career. Today we cover key points of Celeida’s work – why she covered herself in clay, the community work she did in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas and her creative investigation of ovenbird nests. This episode is informative as always with a little TMI thrown into the mix.







Selected Work







Passagem (Passage) performance from 1979. Photographed by Raquel Silva





Wanna know more? Always a book for that (usually) (or article)







Celeida Tostes by editors Marcus de Lontra Costa & Raquel Silva. Available to read for free, this is a great collection of essays in both Portuguese and English







Bertha Parker













Keeping our earth theme going, today Milena brings us the first Native American woman archaeologist Bertha Parker. Working as a self taught scientist, Bertha contributed to our understanding of ancient people (and giant sloths) here in North America. In her 71 years, Betha work encompasses both the dig sites and silver screen. Today Milena shares how this woman from NY state ended up on the West coast documenting the history of native peoples, cohosting her own tv show and advising

In this Halloween mini episode, Milena & Megan cover the woman most likely responsible for developing Spirit Photography, professional clairvoyant physician Hannah Frances Green (1833 – 1812)



















Hannah Frances Green















In this special Halloween mini episode we get spooky with a non artist or scientist, covering instead a Mesmeric Physician aka a professional clairvoyant physician Hannah Frances Green. While in a way she did contribute to the artform of photography in the 1860’s, today we focus on the Victorian obsession with death and how that manifested into a form of portraiture with haunting results. Grab some Halloween candy and get cozy as Milena & Megan cover how these photos were staged, where a professional circus man draws the line and how we really should hate the game, not the player. Happy Halloween everyone!







Spirit Photography Examples







Approximately 1865 photo attributed to H.F. Stuart aka Hannah (?)







Various Spirit photos attributed to William Mumler







Photo by William Mumler of Mary Todd Lincoln with the apparition of her husband Abraham Lincoln















Wanna know more? Always a book for that (usually) (or article)







Celeida Tostes by editors Marcus de Lontra Costa & Raquel Silva. Available to read for free, this is a great collection of essays in both Portuguese and English







As always, music by EeL

Today Milena & Megan cover American aerospace engineer Judith Love Cohen & 20th century Argentinian paper artist Ligia Montoya



















Judith Love Cohen







Judith pictured with the Atlas-Able satellite she worked on, 1959







Every now and again Milena covers a person that makes you think ‘Gee, what was I doing when I was their age?’ That’s the case on a few occasions with aerospace engineer, author and occasional dancer Judith Love Cohen. Today Milena profiles how this engineer was one of the few, if only, women in her science programs, the importance of equal representation in careers, and how to pass the time while giving birth (spoiler: solving a math problem).























Ligia Montoya







Crop from cover of Paper Life: The Story of Ligia Montoya by Laura Rozenberg







Today Megan covers our first paper artist, Ligia Montoya. Looking to find an escape from from the ever-depressing news cycle, we jump into the niche community of paperfolding AKA origami. What we expected to find: carefully crafted objects, inventive use of technique & solitary hours devoted to the artformWhat we didn’t expect to find: suicide, unrequited love & professional smack talk







Megan give us the details on the life of this quiet Argentinian artist who would have been forgotten if not for the work of paper enthusiast Laura Rozenberg, who wrote Paper Life: The Story of Ligia Montoya. Much thanks to Laura, who has written the most extensive English language biography of Ligia to date.







Selected Work







Examples of Ligia’s flower designs, instructions to make them can be found HERE







Assortment of designs by Ligia. Most of her paperart was created from small pieces of airmail paper from the post office















As always, music by EeL

Milena & Megan cover African American octogenarian abstract painter Alma Thomas (1891–1978) and Spanish marine biologist María de los Ángeles Alvariño González (1916-2005)



















Alma Thomas







© Michael Fischer, 1976; Courtesy of National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC







Alma Thomas was an artist who didn’t subscribe to the idea that she was ‘too old’ to be making work. Born in 1891, from a young age her parents supported their daughter and her sisters despite the severe racial discrimination of their rural Georgia hometown. Moving to Washington D.C in order to provide a better life for them, Alma took to the expanded educational opportunities – becoming an artist and educator in the capital city.







Today Megan covers Alma’s path as a teacher and artist, discrimination in the Art World and how after Alma’s retirement her career really took off. Alma is yet another artist that proves that even going into your 60’s it’s possible enjoy a creative career. Next time you think ‘I’m to old for ___’ – think again.







Selected Work







Example of Alma’s early abstract work. Bright colors and crisp brushwork are characteristic of her initial exploration of abstract painting.







Another early example of Alma’s abstract work. This is her 1970 piece The Eclipse







Examples of Alma’s later paintings done in a more muted style. Left, 1973 work Arboretum Presents White Dogwood. Right, 1972  Dogwood Display II. Both acrylic on canvas







Largest painting Alma ever did, 1976 work Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music. About 4 x 13 feet in dimension.















María de los Ángeles Alvariño González















Today’s episode is inadvertently sponsored by SpongeBob. Milena covers Spanish research biologist, oceanographer, scientific historian, discoverer of over 20 types of marine species and all around expert of plankton, María de los Ángeles Alvariño González. While technically she studied the type of plankton featured in the cartoon show SpongeBob, Milena shares the numerous types of plankton out there – and they range from ‘oh that’s cute’ to utterly terrifying.







As funny looking as plankton maybe, María helped establish their importance within an ocean’s ecosystem while asserting her place as a woman scientist. This episode we learn how humans would be dead without them, the importance of learning a second language and how having a woman on a boat will not actually bring out the end times.















As always, music by EeL

Today Milena & Megan cover British aeronautical engineer & motorcycle badass Beatrice Shilling (1909-1990) & financially savvy Dutch-Belgian animal painter Henriëtte Ronner-Knip (1821-1909)



















Beatrice Shilling















There are times that hands down, Milena covers the cooler person in an episode. Now that’s not to say that Megan’s artist isn’t pretty neat – she’s just not an engineering PhD and an award winning motorcycle racer. Today Milena gives us the details on the amazing life of Beatrice who is best known for her WWII solution to the British Royal Air Force’s fighter planes engine problem. Milena profiles the impact of women mentoring young women in STEM, how fast Beatrice could go on a Norton M30 motorcycle and the sexist backlash when a woman solves a man’s problem.















Henriëtte Ronner-Knip















Megan will be the first to admit that the artwork of 19th century romantic painter Henriëtte Ronner–Knip is not feminist. Sure, the content is cute and adorable and commercially successful – but feminist? No. Now how Henriëtte developed her painting career and finances? Feminist AF. Today Megan profiles this prolific and commercially savvy painter, who saw an chance to capitalize on a niche and did just that. While painting stereotypical ‘women’s work’, Henriëtte subverted the expected role of a woman artist. Megan explores what contributed to Henriëtte’s artistic and financial independence, the tradition of passing on a trade within the family and how royalty will pay big money for paintings of their little pets.







Selected Wor







Look at all these silly kitties getting up to no good







Henriëtte’s 1876 watercolor on paper The dogs of Marie-Henriette, the Queen of Belgium







No painting of Megan’s will ever be as cute as this 1890’s oil on panel, Kitten with a ball of wool



























As always, music by EeL