That’s how St. Pete Women’s Collective President Ashley Sweet describes the lease that the organization recently signed to house female art.
The new headquarters at 2800 2nd Ave N. is home to two of the Collective’s members.
These “Boss Ladies of the Burg’” belong, in part, to the displaced artists left behind by the closure of Bloom Collective, a 7000 square-foot venue and workplace for independent artists, due to rent increases.
The home, which functions as SPWC workspace and gallery, is defined as an “intentional space for creativity and education,” said Sweet. “In order to empower women and women’s allies.”
Last Saturday, April 8, a fundraiser event was set to receive about 500 visitors within the two-hour timeframe.
“Today’s event stands in solidarity with women’s reproductive justice. It’s about the ability to control your own body,” said Sweet.
The paintings showcased at the Nasty Women Art Show were donated by artists, some belonging to the SPWC and some from the former Bloom Collective. All proceeds gained by purchase or donations were forwarded to Planned Parenthood.
“I hope [visitors] take away some art” said Tiffany Elliot, an SPWC artist. “But also the idea to resist, and to support Planned Parenthood.”
For the members that use the space and the women that volunteer with the SPWC or attend the workshops, the non-profit represents a chance to come together in a safe way to speak about the issues affronting women in today’s world.
The Collective offers group counseling to survivors of sexual assault at The Body Electric Yoga Company, sexual education workshops that teach alternatives to violence, such as “Adulting 101” and they participate in events that honor the experience of being a women.
For USF Tampa student and SPWC intern, Karen Mollard, the organization provides exposure and an opportunity to see development in the community’s pride.
“I think it’s important to be a ‘nasty woman’” said Mollard. “To me, a nasty woman is a woman who is well aware of her standing in society and disgusted by the position given to her by society.”
