Recently, I had the pleasure to be profiled and interviewed by the BBC. Journalist and filmaker, Harriet Constable, came to my studio in the country and spent the day with me. She also was with me when I conducted a panel discussion about women cartoonists at the Society of Illustrators in New York, which was held on the night of the opening of the exhibit that I curated there about women who draw and have drawn cartoons for The New Yorker. The exhibit is called “Funny Ladies At The New Yorker, Then and Now”and runs until Oct 13th. The show is based on my history, “Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Greatest Women Cartoonists and Their Cartoons”
Who knew that an exhibition about women cartoonists from The New Yorker would draw a huge, standing-room only, out-the-door-and-around-the-block crowd ? When the room downstairs was full, they sent people to the second and third floors (where the bar was) and to the lower level (where the food was). The evening was the opening event, and included a lively–at times hysterical– panel discussion with cartoonists Roz Chast, Liana Finck, Carolita Johnson, and New Yorker cartoon editor Emma Allen. It was so much fun! I selected and moderated the panel, and each participant was so funny and told stories and shared what the life of a cartoonist was like. Then we showed cartoons that are particularly feminist in tone, and talked about those.
I curated the Funny Ladies At The New Yorker, Then and Now exhibition to include original art from 1925 through 2018. It is based in part on my book, Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Women Cartoonists and Their Cartoons,a history of the women who drew for The New Yorker from the very first issue of the magazine in 1925. But the motivation for the show was also to celebrate that on Dec 4, 2017, for the first time in its history, the magazine published the first issue ever that included more women drawing cartoons than men.
The show runs until Oct 13. There will be another panel event on Oct 11th! It’s at the Society of Illustrators, 128 East 63rd, NYC. It’s a wonderful three story townhouse museum dedicated to art and illustration! They have a restaurant bar on the third floor, check it out.
The Society of Illustrators, photo credit Steffen Kaplin, @SpinitsocialOutside the Society of Illustrators. Photo credit Steffen Kaplin, @Spinitsocial
The panelists. Standing: Carolita Johnson, Emma Allen, Roz Chast; seated, Liana Finck, Liza Donnelly. Photo by Stephen Nadler.Some of the cartoonists whose work is in the exhbition. Sharon Levy, Roz Chast, Liza Donnelly, Carolita Johnson, Liana Finck, Emily Sanders Hopkins (nee Richards), Sophia Warren, Mary Lawton, and Maggie Larson. Photo by Michael Maslin
Recently, I was interviewed by the United Nations initiative, UN Women. Their mission is to help women around the globe, as “the global champion for gender equality, working to develop and uphold standards and create an environment in which every woman and girl can exercise her human rights and live up to her full potential. We are trusted partners for advocates and decision-makers from all walks of life, and a leader in the effort to achieve gender equality.”
It was such an honor to be interviewed by them. I hope my work can in some small way help women around the world.
I arrived at the Women’s March in NYC around 10:30am and easily moved to the press area. There was a buzz of activity and musicians were onstage testing equipment. I had seen protesters—many with signs and pink hats—on the subway on my way to Columbus Circle, but the area was not crowded yet.
A volunteer who was so cheerful, it was clear she would never need or want to use her megaphone.
While I waited for the speakers to begin, I interviewed a mother and daughter standing next to me, and the video of me drawing them along with audio interview can be seen here.
As soon as the program began, the area got very crowded. I was able to draw the first speakers, but soon was unable to draw anymore because it was too crowded. And it was freezing, my hand wouldn’t really function until it warmed up.
I left the stage area and after warming up in a cafe, began walking around. Columbus Circle was amass with people, most of whom appeared to be there for the march. Traffic was nowhere to be seen, and baracades attempted to keep people contained to certain areas. I overheard someone say the marchers were backed up to 84th street (Columbus Circle is at 59th). They were waiting for the marching to begin once the speaker part of the rally was over.
I wandered around somewhat aimlessly, looking for interesting subjects to draw. I stumbled on a table set-up for children to draw and write signs for the protest.
There were signs everywhere, and I tried to chose the ones that were more positive in nature. As I saw it, the march was about a variety of concerns: extreme disagreement with President Trump, hope and desire for women’s and girls’ rights, a call to get out the vote and a call to elect more women to public office. One woman just stood in the middle of the street and held her sign for a long time. Another group of young women expressed their strong feelings, chanting and holding their signs about the importance of diversity in the women’s movement.
A father had brought his two sons, and they posed for me. I had not seen any boys of any age, so I thanked these two for being there.
Some of the other signs I saw:
I started to walk south as the march began, following them at a distance because the police would not let us get close.
As I watched the marchers and drew them, I had the chance to hear a policeman standing next ot me answer quite a few questions from passers-by. He was patient and quite funny. To one questioner, he said,
“Are those angry people with pink hats bothering you?”
Eventually, I got closer to the marchers as they turned onto Central Park South. Sign carrying on-lookers stood on the rock wall in the park, across from my position on the sidewalk.
I enjoyed watching people watching the march, too. Sign carriers were asked to stop for photos, and people generally just hung out on the sidelines observing the mass of humanity marching down the street. Sometimes the marchers were thick in numbers and moved as if one unit. Other times it was thinner. It was fun to see doormen stand by their buildings on Central Park South, watching the marchers. One man was looking out the window and smiled broadly at me as the march reflected behind him in the window.
Around 45th Street, the marchers began to disperse, being told by police?—?there were a LOT of cops everywhere?—?to turn right and head towards Broadway. Everyone dutifully did, politely and quietly. As I headed that way too, I saw pink hatted protesters looking for food and drink. I saw them go into into pubs and coffee shops. Hot dog anyone?
Just as I left the area, I spotted a group of people looking down at the street, between several baricades arranged in a triangle. Apparently, marchers had been tossing their signs into the pile of signs. To be thrown away? Used again? Or perhaps saved in a museum.
I drew this sketch recently for my New Yorker’s Daily Cartoon submission. They didn’t take it, but I wanted to publish it anyway. It’s in response to the woman in Saudi Arabia recently who posted a video of herself in a mini skirt and subsequently got arrested. She was eventually released. While we in this country are aghast at what is policed re women in Middle Eastern countries, it is important to remember what Western countries do, and how they police what women should and shouldn’t wear.
Women are told what to wear and if we are not wearing what a culture deems “correct,” we are “corrected,” so to speak. Society is beginning to notice how wrong victim blaming is, when a woman who is sexually assaulted while wearing a short skirt is?—?in many parts of the country?—?accused of “asking for it.” CBS News reported last week that in the US Congress, sleeveless dresses are not considered “proper business attire,” and thus women are open to being barred from entry if so clothed. In response, Representative Martha McSally wore a sleeveless dress in Congress, in violation of a rule that women are not to do so; and there was even more pushback. There are more examples, and many of them are much more subtle.
Every day is a political day for women around the globe. Here’s to more pushback.
While taking a walk yesterday, an image for a cartoon came to me and I seized it. I stood on the sidewalk and drew it on my phone. Sometimes I feel an idea has to go out right away and be a part of the national (or global) conversation. To wait is to lose an opportunity, a chance to hopefully contribute to the conversation. It depends on the idea of course, but this topic was one that I wanted to be a part of.
While giving a speech in the Senate chambers, Senator Elizabeth Warren read the late Coretta Scott King’s letter critical of Jeff Sessions, Trump’s nominee for Attorney General. Senator Warren was told to stop talking by Senator Mitch McConnell. McConnell’s reason for instructing Warren to sit down and stop talking was based on a Senate rule from 1902, wherein members are not supposed to speak ill of other members?—?however, there are many examples online of just this being done at other times by male members of the Senate, and not being censured. This act on the part of Senator McConnell?—?a white man shutting down two women, one black, one white?—?was so odd and alarming that it immediately gave Warren and King’s words much more power. Even though Sessions was confirmed the next day.
. Journalist and filmaker, 
I arrived at the Women’s March in NYC around 10:30am and easily moved to the press area. There was a buzz of activity and musicians were onstage testing equipment. I had seen protesters—many with signs and pink hats—on the subway on my way to Columbus Circle, but the area was not crowded yet.
