Whitney Bedford: Nevertheless...
October 10 - November 7, 2020
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/EWarren3.jpg)
Carrie Secrist Gallery is proud to present Nevertheless…, an exhibition of new drawings by gallery artist Whitney Bedford. Nevertheless… will be presented from October 10 through November 7, 2020 (the Saturday after the 2020 general election).
In February 2017, the US Senate, led by Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell voted along party lines to silence Senator Elizabeth Warren as she voiced her objections during the confirmation hearing for Senator Jeff Sessions, who had recently been appointed US Attorney General. As part of her extensive and powerful dissent, Warren read aloud from a letter authored by Coretta Scott King in 1986, when Sessions was a candidate for a Federal judgeship in Alabama, that argues he is unfit to hold that position. Stating unequivocally: “Mr. Sessions has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens.”* Describing his decision to censor Senator Warren, Senator McConnell stated “Senator Warren was giving a lengthy speech. She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted”**
“Nevertheless, she persisted…” has become a rallying cry for feminists. A statement intended to slander has been transformed into a representation of the power of the capable, profound, and persistent efforts of women resisting oppression in all its forms to reimagine and rebuild our world.
Inspired by Senator Warren’s bid for the Presidency, Bedford initiated a series of daily drawings of the Senator on February 26, 2020. These initial 10″ x 14″ drawings of Warren, made from widely available photographs of the candidate, were sold on Instagram to raise money in support of Warren’s campaign. When Warren dropped out of the race on March 5, Bedford expanded her project, creating a series of portraits of women political figures, artists, writers, musicians, thinkers, who have persisted despite the challenges of a patriarchal and white supremacist society to forge new paths and fight for freedom, equity, and access for all.
Throughout the ongoing months of the COVID-19 lockdown in Los Angeles, Bedford has continued to make daily drawings of women. Each drawing is coupled with an investigation of the subject’s work and impact, summarized in a brief caption. For her presentation at Carrie Secrist Gallery, Bedford has highlighted several historic women in Chicago’s history, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot. 2020 has been, and continues to be, a historic year in women’s history in the United States. We celebrated the 100th anniversary of womens’ right to vote, and more recently we have mourned the loss of the iconic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Presented with this backdrop, at the crux of a historic election, these new drawings presented in Nevertheless… remind us both of how far women have come, and also how far we have to go.
* “Congressional Record — Senate“. Congress.gov. February 7, 2017. p. S853.
** “Congressional Record — Senate“. Congress.gov. February 7, 2017. p. S855.
20% of the retail price of each drawing sold from this series of drawings will also be donated to Emily’s List, a fundraising PAC that supports pro-choice, Democratic, women candidates.
IMAGE: Whitney Bedford, Elizabeth Warren, 2020, Graphite on Arches Paper, 14 x 10 inches (NFS)
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Nevertheless… is an ongoing series of daily portraits of strong and inspiring women by Whitney Bedford. Bedford will continue her series for the duration of the exhibition, ending on November 3rd, coinciding with the presidential election and the closing of the exhibition on November 7. We will add additional works here each week as Bedford continues the series.
Artwork
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Ada-Lovelace_Text-Header-5.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_AdaLovelace_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Ada Lovelace
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000045
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Kathleen-Hanna_Text-Header-3.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_KathleenHanna_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Kathleen Hanna
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000046
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/LIlly-Reich_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Lilly-Reich_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Lilly Reich
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000047
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Patti-Smith_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Patti-Smith_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Patti Smith
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000048
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mary-Shelley_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Mary-Shelley_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Mary Shelley
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000049
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Malala_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Malala_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Malala
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000050
Photo by Evan Bedford
Sold
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Lise-Meitner_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Lise-Meitner_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Lise Meitner
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000051
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/RBG_Text-Header-2.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_RBG_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
RBG
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000052
Photo by Evan Bedford
Sold
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Michelle-Obama_Text-Header-2.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Michelle-Obama_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Michelle Obama
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000053
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Marsha-P-Johnson_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Marsha-P.-Johnson_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Marsha P. Johnson
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000054
Photo by Evan Bedford
Sold
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Lori-Lightfoot_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Lori-Lightfoot_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Lori Lightfoot
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000055
Photo by Evan Bedford
On Reserve
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Rosa-Parks_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Rosa-Parks_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Rosa Parks
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000056
Photo by Evan Bedford
Sold
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mary-Church-Terrell_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Mary-Church-Terrell_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Mary Church Terrell
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000057
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Anita-Hill_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Anita-Hill_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Anita Hill
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000058
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Madonna_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Madonna_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Madonna
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000059
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Helen-Frankenthaler_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_HelenFrankenthaler_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Helen Frankenthaler
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000060
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Kamala-Harris_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Kamala-Harris_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Kamala Harris
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000061
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Artemisia-Gentileschi_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Artemisia-Gentileschi_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Artemisia Gentileschi
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000062
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Dolores-Huerta_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Delores-Huerta_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Delores Huerta
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000064
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Hillary-Clinton_Text-Header-1.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Hillary-Clinton_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Hillary Clinton
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000065
Photo by Evan Bedford
Sold
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Eleanor-Roosevelt-_Text-Header-2.jpg)
![](https://www.secristgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Whitney-Bedford_Eleanor-Roosevelt_2020_30-x-22_BINDER.jpg)
Eleanor Roosevelt
2020
Graphite on Arches Paper
30 x 22 inches
WB-000066
Photo by Evan Bedford
$1,500.00