In the Spring of 2012, I finally had enough.

Enough of not seeing women-led projects, enough of not working creatively with women, enough of not having support from women. Shreveport’s arts and music community definitely had a lot going on, but something was missing—women. So one day I emailed about 15 women—friends, acquaintances, and others whose work I admired from afar—and asked them to come over for a meeting at the Dalzell House, where I was living at the time.

We talked about the lack of positive feminine influence and support in the local arts community, everyday misogyny, body policing, slut shaming, what feminism means to us, and sisterhood. Some women were not fond of the word “feminist.” Some women suggested good reads from Alexander Pope’s, “The Rape of the Lock” to “Malleus Malificarum” {the ancient witch-hunter’s Bible} to “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?”by Mindy Kaling. Other women told stories of cat calls at the gas station, of being judged as a mother due to the number of tattoos on their body, about the shame associated with body hair, about the expense of birth control, and about feeling left out. But all of the women agreed what was missing in our lives was actually other women. We needed to make something happen. Women-led, women-produced, women-performed, large scale art experiences. Workshops taught by women, for women. Activism, political and heartfelt. A true, reinforced idea of sisterhood in action.

Since that first meeting, women aged 16 to 36 have created events and art work in Shreveport through Omen Art. The collective is made up of teachers, students, stylists, cooks, business owners, political activists, nannies, musicians, writers, and visual artists. We have produced themed large scale events, a workshop on money managing, led a book club, documentary film nights, a jewelry making workshop, clothing swaps, craft nights, and just plain girls’ nights eating pizza and watching “Carrie.” We have supported each other in our personal and business endeavors, listened to each other in hard times, educated each other, and encouraged each other to be the best version of ourselves. If Omen Art had not existed, I would have never known these women. I might have been jealous of or felt inferior to them. I might have judged them. Instead, I am inspired by these women. I respect them. I know these women are my sisters, not my competition.

The ΟΜΕΝ ART {WO} Manifesto:

Omen Art is a collective of women based in Shreveport, LA who come together in the name of feminine equality, expression, and enrichment. We are not bound together by common age or privilege, but by common goals. Our individual goals and ideals take a plethora of forms and will evolve into many movements in the future. At the core, our group exists:

♦to strengthen, educate and inspire women in our local and global community;

♦to lead by example through activism, art, and outreach;

♦to promote acceptance of and positivity towards other women and our varied beliefs, bodies, and lifestyles, and

♦to deconstruct judgmental attitudes that weaken our sense of unity;

♦to provide support and cultivate sisterhood.

Omen Art went through growing pains in its second year—with members having different ideas about the direction for the group, the major setback presented by minicine? closing down, not only as a venue but also as the backbone of the Shreveport underground arts community, and members (like myself) starting families. The collective’s first exhibition of 2014, alongside New Orleans’ Airlift at the Calanthean Temple on Texas Ave., has given the group a newly purposed sense of direction. The legacy of Cora M. Allen and the Court of Calanthe has become serious inspiration for Omen Art to continue its work of building up the women of its community with fervor.

Omen Art is currently in the planning stages for its second event of 2014, to be held June 6th at Bear’s on Fairfield. Themes will be focusing on the mass production and consumption of personal ritual, and hamburgers made of felt might just be involved. Omen Art is teaming up with local anti-sex trafficking activist group Purchased for its third event of the year, with a show to be held at the end of summer. If you’re an artist looking for a collective’s support, or just a girl in need of a sister or two, please join us! Omen Art has a public Facebook page as well as our website for display of past events. Or you could even email us at : omenfart@gmail.com.

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