International Women’s Day at CSUMB serves as focal point

By Mark C. Anderson

When Cal State Monterey Bay’s Otter Cross Cultural Center celebrates International Women's Day on March 7, there will be a lot going on. 

An “Accelerating Action” student brunch and panel, a session on reproductive justice, a yoga class and an All Gurl’s Dance Party are a few of the half-dozen activities starting at 10 a.m. and lasting past nightfall.

Among the more striking elements will be Oakland-based multimedia sculptor Lucile Henderson guiding attendees of all skill levels in forming what she calls “their own deity” in clay. 

“I invite folks to reflect on the kind of being they would like to create,” she says, adding that no experience is needed and tools will be provided. “Is it an ancestor? Animal spirit? Version of themselves? A mixture of it all? We will explore through forming clay together.” 

Henderson works in drawn art, bronze and ceramic sculpture, film and natural pigment painting. She also navigates the depths of heritage, identity, creativity and progress that are both rare and right on time for Women’s History Month, the month of March.

CSUMB Humanities and Communication lecturer Lee Ritscher says it’s especially important to mark the month this year. Ritscher is the author of two books examining attitudes on rape, “The Semiotics of Rape in Renaissance English Literature” and “Rape and Dating Violence: Your Questions Answered.”

She said she is dismayed about recent actions by the federal government. 

“It's pretty dark right now,” Ritscher said. “I don’t think a lot of women thought of DEI [diversity equity and inclusion] as affecting them. But it doesn’t just mean people of color, it means all women as well.”

She sees a connection between women’s rights and the founding of the nation. 

“Feminism, to me, seems like a peculiarly American ideal,” she said, “that we’re all created equal. What an amazing concept. I don’t know how you can get from that to where we are now, but it’s pretty distressing.”

She expects the situation may energize a new generation of activists. 

“Some women are going to find their passion, and I think that is a beautiful thing,” she said. “It’s not too late, this isn’t the final chapter. I see it as a turning point and moment of opportunity.” 

That opportunity may include connecting with Henderson’s art workshop and celebrating the feminine. 

Henderson’s expressive evolution included Qi Gong movement tutelage from her father and art education at places such as Chapman University, Merritt College and Splady Art Studios. 

“I pull from those positions that harmonize my spirit to sculpt, collage, and embody,” she adds. “The postures and adornments of the figures also come from inner vision and ancient depictions of the goddess.”

Here are her thoughts on those fronts:

How does history inform your work—both looking back and inspiring people who follow what you create to use that knowledge themselves? 

Part of my inspiration comes from ancient goddess artifacts dating from 30,000 years ago in the Late Paleolithic Ice Age forward, [including] an abundance of rock carvings, natural pigment paintings on cave facades and bronze relics that reveal portal bearers as strong and mystic–fueled with earthen wisdom. 

What entices me the most from these archival images is the reverence given to the womb space as portal-life weaver, cleanser, creative center. 

In most of my pieces, I honor the womb in some way, by turning it into a place to keep fire, water, earth, minerals. By carving protective sigils onto the surface of the belly. By sculpting arms in a design that holds the empowered area. These ancient totems of the goddess prove societies [saw] the sacredness of our power. 

These are the same values I am purposed to spur in our contemporary moment: an encouragement of the sacred feminine through creating imagery that invites us to remember our true natures.  

What do we miss out on as individuals and society when we don't appreciate, apply and celebrate the feminine? 

When we degrade an attribute of the group, we degrade an attribute of ourselves as we have never been separate. Separateness is a disease of the fearful. It breeds greed and eventually hatred. 

To believe in collective care means to believe in caring for yourself holistically. And then the well fills for us all with an abundance of pure loving intent. This community web is that beautiful and will prevail despite the violence plotting against it. 

Sensitivity, nurturance, balance, and inner strength are attributes of the feminine that will never die. It is our choice to feed it within ourselves and our communities if we want to see its potent supportive effects.

How do your choices of medium, theme and message interweave? 

Clay is a kindly soft medium. Clay communicates [whether] it has been nurtured enough or if it needs more supportive touch. Once you land, knowing that your totem is finished, fire is introduced. 

Heat up to 1,600˚F surrounds your piece, causing it to glow and purge any weakness, leaving strength in its place. This purification process creates a field of resilience within and in the energetic field of your piece. The process itself is a reflection on the discipline of self-refinement, the foundation of self-empowerment. 

Most of my sculptures are of empowered beings, thus the process of their creation fortifies their visual message. This permeates their aura with integrity. This is why I believe my beings are alive in their own dimension. They have been birthed through earth, water and fire just like us. And have messages to ripple into our collective.

Additional reporting by Mark Muckenfuss