Just to set things straight, Pandora was the Athenian name for the Earth Goddess Rhea. The nasty little tale in which Hesoid, the Greek historian, blamed all the world's follies and ills on a woman who opened up a box of Spites is "not a genuine myth but an anti-feminist fable, probably of his own invention" according to mythographer Robert Graves. "Pandora's jar originally contained winged souls."

Well, the real Pandora is back in action. Because of an idea that began right here in Santa Barbara, two hundred women will be sending their "winged souls" out into the world, contained in tiny wooden boxes. The exhibit, WOMEN/BEYOND BORDERS premieres at Santa Barbara's Contemporary Art Forum November 4, 1995 and will travel to twenty countries ending up in Washington DC. in the year 2000 when a permanent home will be sought for the collection. "The care and work that went into transforming simple, inexpensive boxes into objects that are compelling and affecting must be seen to be believed." comments Nancy Doll, CAF's Director.

The homespun project that involves so many women artists began over three years ago when Santa Barbarans Elena Siff and Lorraine Serena played with the notion of a traveling

The boxes started coming. We had no idea what to expect. Initially we had discussed themes for a group exhibition such as "self-portrait" or "womenÍs spirituality", but this seemed like hyperbole. We wanted to be surprised by the unlegislated nature of the idea. We feared that any affiliation with Embassy programs or Museum Boards might impose a tangle of guidelines that would sap the energy from this grassroots endeavor. For centuries, women have communicated vital information to one another while attending to mundane domestic tasks. Word of mouth, folded into a larger conversation, is a hotline that simply works. We added the tools of modern communication technology to this age-old tradition, tailoring both styles to suit our needs for a rapid yet personal format.

One day Lorraine received an unexpected phone call. "Hi, I'm Joni Waite from Nairobi. I'm at the Carpinteria Greyhound bus stop, can you come collect me?" Even though she was exhausted Joni could barely contain herself as she pulled eleven transformed boxes from among wads of newspaper, "In Kenya women have been subjugated for years as chattels, but recently many have begun finding a voice...". In the midst of helping Joni unwrap the boxes Lorraine was hit with a profound sense of the projectÍs importance. "Because of

Several of the boxes use traditional motifs or materials. Many of the Mexicana boxes are ornate reliquaries, encrusted with pigment, gold, and memorabilia. The Argentinas deconstructed their boxes to create sculptural balancing acts. The Parisian pieces are sleek and abstract. African women carved the box surfaces. The crouched body of a woman softens the hard edges of one box, within which sleeps a small infant. The Israeli group (including one Arab woman), use metal, concrete and wire - heavy visual interpretations of the trappings of endless conflict, linked with written messages stressing reflection and reconciliation.

The increased responsibility to effectively manage a project that has mushroomed has, of course, launched us into a new phase. Women/Beyond Borders is now actively seeking volunteer help as well as private and corporate sponsorship to cover expenses for a full color catalogue, video documentation, a directory of participating artists, galleries and museums, and shipping costs. The word is out and a party line of women across the globe is open.

Individually, and as a whole, Women/Beyond Borders is a visual anthology, a vivid tableaux of lives lived in community, fascinatingly diverse, slightly irreverent, confident and distinct. The warp of common themes and the woof of individual expression has created a fabric of the highest quality.

A map of the world hangs in Lorraine Serena's studio, our usual meeting place. Red pushpins speckle the map, identifying participating countries. One or two exhibition spaces, a dozen women artists, adjunct workshops, discussion groups, and a complex web of fax, Internet and written communiqués dance on the head of each pin.

© Mary Heebner for Santa Barbara Magazine Fall 1995
photographs © Macduff Everton