About the exhibition

The Rules, Responsibilities, Restraints: Women's Pursuit of Equity exhibition will be on display in the public Visitors Lobby of the UN headquarters in New York as a meaningful and instructive companion to the discussions of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women scheduled for March 2025.

An exhibition of artworks by French painter Fleur Spolidor and American sculptor Sawyer Rose, Rules, Responsibilities, Restraints combines the powerful tools of visual arts and educational writing to spark public dialogue around gender equity and the empowerment of women.

The important work of the Commission on the Status of Women—“accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”—happens mainly behind closed doors. The Rules, Responsibilities, Restraints exhibition, though, will be displayed to the public, celebrating the inspiring efforts of the Commission while also empowering visitors to question the gender status quo for themselves.

To one degree or another, in most cultures around the world, women are trained to “stay small.” From girlhood, we are told not to take up too much space physically, emotionally, in our homes, and in our careers. This exhibition stands up against these systems of oppression by telling women’s stories (both historical and contemporary, and through an intersectional lens), raising awareness about social issues affecting women and girls worldwide, and honoring the power and the elegance of the feminine.

About the artists

  • Fleur Spolidor

    THE SWIMSUITS SERIES: A PICTORIAL REFLECTION ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS

    Fleur Spolidor, MFA, NAWA, is an eco-conscious visual artist whose work addresses critical issues such as women’s rights and climate change. Recently, Spolidor received two grants from the New York State Council on the Arts: the first for “The Swimsuits Series: A Pictorial Reflection on Women’s Rights,”, and the second for her upcoming project, “The Unforgiving Yardstick: A Look at Women’s Roles and Struggles in Westchester County”. The Swimsuits series was on display at the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, NY, Oct-Nov 2023 and a destination during New York State’s Path Through History Weekend 2023. The Unforgiving Yardstick project is set to be exhibited in March 2025 at the Square House Museum in Rye, NY, with support from the Rye Historical Society.

    Spolidor actively volunteers her artistic skills for schools and nonprofits and has been selected for an artist residency at the Harrison Public Library, with an emphasis on art programming. She was also awarded a grant for curatorial projects during the pandemic by the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds in the Netherlands and was selected as a mentee in the 2021 NCWCA Mentorship Program in San Francisco. Spolidor recently received an artist certification by the City of New Rochelle, NY.

    Spolidor is a signature member of the National Association of Women Artists in New York and a member of the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art in San Francisco. She is a scholarship recipient who earned her Master’s degree in Contemporary Art History from the University of Paris-Nanterre. Her works are included in both private and public collections across Europe and the United States. Notably, as an engraver, she was selected to design the commemorative plate placed beneath the gold-leafed Pyramidion of the Concorde Obelisk in Paris. Born and raised in Paris, France, Spolidor currently lives and works in Westchester County, NY.

  • Sawyer Rose

    THE CARRYING STONES PROJECT

    Sawyer Rose, FRSA, MRSS is a sculptor, installation and social practice artist. Throughout her career, Rose has used her artwork to shine a spotlight on contemporary social and ecological issues. Her work on The Carrying Stones Project addresses women’s work inequity and has been featured by the New York Times, Ms. Magazine, and BUST Magazine. Sculptures and photographs from the project are currently touring universities, museums, and corporate sites across the United States.

    Rose has been a resident artist at Yaddo, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), The Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland, Moulin à Nef in France, Ragdale Foundation, and Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in San Francisco. She has been awarded grants from The Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, The Creative Capacity Fund, and The Awesome Foundation.

    Rose is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts (London); a Member of the Royal Society of Sculptors (London); and a Signature Member of National Association of Women Artists (New York). She is the Past President and current Communications Chair of the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art (San Francisco), where she runs a free Mentorship Program for emerging artists.

    Born and raised in North Carolina, she holds a degree in Art History from Williams College in Massachusetts, and currently lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.