Artist susan c dessel’s essay and artwork are among the work of more than fifty international artists highlighted in “THE ART OF BEING DANGEROUS Exploring Women and Danger through Creative Expression” (Leuven Press, 2021), Edited by Jo Shaw and Ben Fletcher-Watson.

“The idea that women are dangerous – individually or collectively – runs throughout history and across cultures. Behind this label lies a significant set of questions about the dynamics, conflicts, identities and power relations with which women live today.

The Art of Being Dangerous offers many different images of women, some humorous, some challenging, some well-known, some forgotten, but all unique. In a dazzling variety of creative forms, artists and writers of diverse identities explore what it means to be a dangerous woman.

With almost 100 evocative images, this collection showcases an array of contemporary art that highlights the staggering breadth of talent among today’s female artists. It offers an unparalleled gallery of feminist creativity, ranging from emerging visual artists from the UK to multi-award-winning writers and translators from the Global South.

Contributors: Margie Orford, Meredith Bergmann, K.E. Carver, Sasha de Buyl-Pisco, Mary Paulson-Ellis, Melissa Álvaro Mutolo, Kerri Turner, Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston, Joanie Conwell, Dilys Rose Alison Jones, Sim Bajwa, Hilaire, Tara Pixley, Leonie Mhari, Kate Feld, Millie Earle-Wright, Helen Boden, Elif Sezen, Rebecca Vedavathy, Irene Hossack, SE Craythorne, Roisin Kelly, Nkateko Masinga, Elaine Gallagher, Ildiko Nova, Rachel Roberts, susan c. dessel, Savanna Scott Leslie, Heather Pearson, Eva Moreda Rodriguez, Tanya Krzywinska, Siris Gallinat, Clare Archibald, Maya Mackrandilal, Zuhal Feraidon, Anna Brazier, Shirley Day, Treasa Nealon, Satdeep Grewal, Lucy Walters, Priyanthini Guns, Kate Schneider, Alana Tyson, Jayde Kirchert, Boris Eldagsen, Brenda Rosete, Victoria Duckett, Patricia Allmer, JL Williams, Carly Brown, Sotiria Grek, Sepideh Jodeyri, Brooke Bolander, Maria Stoian, Maria Fusco, Claire Askew and Marianne Boruch”.

This book emerges from the Dangerous Women Project.
For more information, visit dangerouswomenproject.org

2019 2020 Yiddish New York. Utopia: Visions and Tradition
“Visual artists grapple with questions of what would constitute
and/or create a ‘Heaven on Earth’, the longing for an ideal society, where all people are treated with respect, all of their needs
are met and we see an end to war and fear – a Utopia”

Imagining Utopia in this dark moment in history, I combined text to create an image of a majestic Baobab, or Tree of Life. The Baobab, impressive in size and longevity, is valued for its fruit and bark which humans and animals use for survival. This image, composed of the word dignity, is framed by a phrase which reflects my current vision of Utopia:
when all jeering stops and evil evaporates,
when the reign of violence vanishes from Earth
(from Mahzor Lev Shalem, Rabbinical Assembly)

The Time for Home Exhibit

Dessel’s KITCHEN CABINET selected among work that appears in Still Points Art Quarterly, Winter 2018 • Issue No. 32, and the Still Point On-line Art Gallery’s “The Time for Home” Exhibit.