The WOMANISH Exhibit experience is on a standstill due to the COVID-19 outbreak; waiting to burst open the doors for Chicagoans to experience 5 floors of creative visual installations, located downtown on State Street and Monroe Street.
Written by: Production Department
WOMANISH is more than an exhibit, it’s a movement that celebrates womxn’s perspectives of life. Think of it as a culturally-inclusive safe space that provokes imagination, conversation, and change around breaking single-definition stereotypes. The core team of womxn behind WOMANISH turned the movement into a 30-day exhibition that was supposed to open to the public on March 24th.
“The WOMANISH Exhibit was one week away from it's opening as the COVID-19 outbreak gained momentum.”
The WOMANISH Exhibit was one week away from it's opening as the COVID-19 outbreak gained momentum. Production decided to take a halt on building out the space in order to maintain health and safety of the artists and staff who are working on the build of the space.
Artists from around the world have been curated to bring womxn's perspectives and cultures to life through visual installations, artwork, and creative concepts at the WOMANISH Exhibit. While a few areas of the the 5-story venue have been able to be built out, most of them remain unfinished and yet to be started. The below image of the 'Do You Selfish Salon was one of the first rooms to be build out while Art Director, Armani Barron was in town to work with the production team, "there is still a long ways to go before the salon itself is even finished."
The Super Producers, a creative production team based out of Chicago and New York City, has been working on the concept for the WOMANISH Exhibit along with Founders Dionna and Danyelle Gray since Spring of 2019. Together they have produced various events in Chicago at the Ace Hotel, Soho House Chicago, The Hoxton, EvolveHer and a private launch event at a hidden venue in Chicago. The WOMANISH community is rapidly growing, and they are eager to understand the results of the stay at home shelter order; hopefully opening the experience in May.
The Exhibit is considered an "intimate"experience, as each hour only lets a certain amount of people into it's 40,000 sq. ft. space. There is a sanitation and safety plan based on CDC regulations and an inherent cleaning schedule protocol put in place that is maintained by the experience and production staff. "We are eager to bring Chicago back to the art of togetherness, but we are doing so in the safest manner possible.", Co-Founder Danyelle Gray.
The experiential pop-up industry has been rapidly growing over the past 3 years. The industry is at a standstill, while millions of people in the entertainment industry hope for it to bounce back quickly with grace. Programming (events) are an important part of the WOMANISH community. The team has been curating virtual events on their Instagram with community leaders and activists during the interim of their new soon to be announced opening date.
WOMANISH is not only a community based on physical, uplifting, and fun experiences, but also one that inspires womxn in their every day lives. Below is a behind the scenes photo of their banner shoot with Lily McLaughlin that took place in February. On March 1st, WOMANISH dropped a banner in their WOMANISH Exhibit venue, shaking things up on State Street in Chicago.
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Photos by Lily McLaughlin and Emily Dahlquist
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