Women’s History Month spurs artistic dialogue about femininity

For Columbians, March signifies midterms, the stress of cementing summer plans, and Spring Break—that beacon of hope amidst the tidal wave of papers and exams. March is also Women’s History Month, but I’m not so certain this fact is at the forefront of students’ minds considering all these other concerns. To celebrate Women’s History Month before you are somewhere in Bermuda or Belize, reveling in the joys of legal drinking, take a peek at two fun events in the city that highlight female artists: the “In Passing” exhibit at the New York Public Library and the performance of singer Hilary Kole at Birdland Jazz Club.

Walking into the elegant and capacious New York Public Library, I was struck by an altogether foreign feeling for a Columbia student—a sense of calm. Being in a library sans that suffocating, paralytic anxiety associated with seeing the sunrise in Butler was like being a kid again, far removed from the perils of higher education. I eagerly walked up the grand staircase to the third floor where the cleverly titled “In Passing: Evelyn Hofer, Helen Levitt, Lilo Raymond” exhibit is located in one small, relatively narrow hallway. The photographs lining the walls can be viewed in passing while walking through the hallway en route to another part of the library. Metaphorically, the photographs represent the persisting artistic legacy of the three female photographers who produced them, all of whom were born in the early 19th century and passed away last year.

Largely known for her black and white portraiture, Evelyn Hofer captured the essence of the individuals she photographed. One Hofer photograph in the exhibit, “Italian family, Bergamo,” (1977) is particularly memorable because it has a heaviness, a tangible melancholy. The mother in the photograph is smiling, but the young children have a somberness that seems well beyond their years. As mentioned in a 2009 New York Times article announcing Hofer’s Exhibition, Hofer once said that she searched for an, “inside value, some interior respect,” in the individuals she photographed. Attesting to Ms. Hofer’s diligence in locating and encapsulating the interiority of her subjects, art critic Hilton Kramer said of Ms. Hofer’s work: “she has extraordinary patience, too, in capturing from every subject the exact image she intends to wrest from it.”

Helen Levitt’s photographs—deemed “street photography”—are grittier and perhaps more provocative than Hofer’s work. In a 1940 series entitled “A Way of Seeing,” Levitt photographed poor neighborhoods such as Spanish Harlem and the Lower East Side. Many of these photographs include children brimming with the zest, buoyancy, and ingenuousness of childhood against a stark backdrop of unmistakable impoverishment. In some photographs, childlike jauntiness and graceful naiveté seem to overtake the less than ideal setting, but in others the sober scenery seeps into the children’s very beings.

Lilo Raymond’s photography, unlike Hofer’s and Levitt’s, features objects instead of individuals. Raymond’s body of work is composed mostly of black and white still-lifes and interiors. Masterfully, Rayond uses varying proportions of light and shadow to give her photographs an almost kinetic quality and create rich texture. In one photograph, titled “Tree, France,” (1970) the skillful manipulation of light and shadow makes the tree seem multidimensional, as textured and palpable as papier-mâché.

While Hofer, Levitt, and Raymond created art using shutters and lenses, another distinguished female artist—vocalist Hilary Kole—uses only the rhythms of her mellifluous voice as a means of creation. The youngest singer to ever perform at the legendary Rainbow Room, Kole began her professional career with a bang and has been maintaining that momentum ever since. Although I appreciate jazz, I am certainly not an aficionado. Nevertheless, I found Kole’s music to be lilting and distinctive. A jazz vocalist who accompanied me said that Kole’s technique was exceptional but the sound of her voice was not unique.

Despite our slightly differing opinions, we both enjoyed our visit to Birdland. Even if you are unfamiliar with Hilary Kole, I’d suggest visiting Birdland simply for its ambience and historical significance. Made famous by eponymous jazz great Charlie “Bird” Parker when it opened in 1949, Birdland featured famous jazz greats like Count Basie and John Coltrane and famous actors and musicians such as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and Ava Gardner were regularly in attendance. The setting is intimate, but the space is large enough that one doesn’t feel claustrophobic. Although the crowd was—and likely always is—decidedly older than college-age, the atmosphere is fairly youthful and definitely inviting. I highly recommend Birdland to Columbian jazz connoisseurs and even their jazz-illiterate friends, if for no other reason than the fact that the music is a nice departure from the classical pieces we’re inundated with in Music Hum. One caveat, however—the pricey music charge and the drinks and dining minimum can be rough on a student budget, so save Birdland for special occasions.

“In Passing: Evelyn Hofer, Helen Levitt, Lilo Raymond” is on view through May 23 at the New York Public Library (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street). Hilary Kole will be performing at Birdland Jazz Club (315 West 44th St. ) Sunday, March 7 at 6 p.m. and April 4, 11,18 at 6 p.m.