From political reformists
to paleobotanists
Invisible Women
From political reformists to paleobotanists the work of women from the north of England has helped to shape the world we live in today and yet, society has habitually reduced women’s impact and achievements to stereotypical gender roles. Such a narrow framework has left little room for authentic story-telling and equal representation.
Since the earliest forms of print, we have witnessed how society and the powers that be have actively sought to own women’s narratives and control their behaviour through printed media. Pick up a history book, newspaper or a printed copy of the law and you will see how women who push against society’s expectations of what and who a woman should be are labelled, alienated, punished and erased to her detriment.
Women in Print founder, Jane Bowyer discusses her activism for the No More Page campaign and how it inspired her to start Women in Print. She says;
“I wanted to be part of something that was challenging the way women were being portrayed in print. I’d been frustrated by what I’d seen in magazines and experienced in design agencies by — what I would call — the lazy stereotyping of women in print and advertising. Women in Print was born from my activism for No More Page 3. The project was my outlet and means to address the inequalities within the local creative scene and tell the stories of powerful northern (and honorary northern) women.”
Jane Bowyer – Women in Print Founder
16 prints,
16 women,
16 artists
The Women
The first exhibition launched at Rudy’s Pizza, Ancoats in 2016 and featured 16 prints, each one a creative response to a woman who had lived or worked in Greater Manchester or contributed to the area in someway including;
Annie Horniman CH
Shelagh Delaney FRSL
Marie Stopes
Louise Da Cocodia MBE
Helen Bradley MBE
Sunny Lowry MBE
Enriqueta Rylands
Mary Stott MBE
Alice Margaret Cooke
Elizabeth Raffald
Amy Ashwood Garvey
Emmeline Pankhurst
Kate Cross
Dr Kathleen Drew Baker
Victoria Wood CBE
Amy Lai
These women have built legacies that have aided and inspired generations of women. From writers like Shelagh Delaney to political reformists such as Amy Ashwood Garvey; from the Pankhursts to comedy legend Victoria Wood the work of women from the north of England has and continues to shape the world we live in today.
And we’re proud to say Women in Print is a part of the fight for better representation of northern women and bringing their stories to life through our projects. The exhibition and print shop ran for 12 weeks at Rudy’s and was hugely successful attracting visitors from different walks of life.
Women supporting women
Our Charity Partners
We were thrilled that our work was able to have an impact beyond our local creative network, gaining national recognition and interest from various sectors and organisations outside of the design industry. 100% of profits raised from the sale of prints went to Manchester Women’s Aid. We also supported the local grassroots campaign The Monthly Gift through donations of sanitary care products at our exhibition and events.
Manchester Women’s Aid
Smart Works Greater Manchester
The Monthly Gift MCR
