Look Again: Portraits of Daring Women by Julie Lapping Rivera is an homage to exceptional, pioneering women working across centuries. In a series of hand-carved, woodcut and collage prints, Leverett-based artist Julie Rivera (American, b. 1956) highlights the lives and achievements of women who defied the status quo. Rivera’s portraits invite the viewer to consider who is included, and omitted, from narratives of history today. “This ongoing project of woodcut portraits began five years ago in response to a growing climate of discrimination against women and other marginalized communities,” Rivera explains. “By representing brave and inspiring women, I hope to honor their achievements, bringing to mind the power and creativity that their lives exemplify.”

Look Again was originally inspired by the “Overlooked” project at the New York Times, which shares the achievements of women and other remarkable people historically overlooked by the newspaper’s obituary section. Rivera’s portraits include famous and lesser-known individuals, including Sylvia Plath, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Ida B. Wells, and Henrietta Lacks. Each print is accompanied by a poem, written specifically for the series, by local and international women poets.

Look Again is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts

Dates: April 27, 2024 - February 23, 2025

Location: D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts, First Floor at Alpert Gallery