What is "the Inclination to Rise?"

Last year HerStory did it's usual tour of Artomatic in support of its participating artists and other women in the arts. It was fantastic, inspiring, and motivating. On that same day, co-curator, Jennifer Judelsohn, hosted "cupcakes and conversation" at her display area. It was there that I saw, "the inclination to rise." It was the theme of Jen's exhibition. As if Jen's work had not always inspired me to think and feel deeply, this theme resonated with me long after I left the event.

This year's theme, "the inclination to rise," is inspired by Jen and her work and its appropriate connection to women. I asked Jen to tell me about theme and these are her words:

"Life is not for the faint of heart. In the natural course of things, everything moves toward a state of entropy, chaos, decay, and death. In my own life, I have dealt with a chronic illness for more than twenty years and have come face to face with this sense of decline.

In the past few years I have began a journey in which I follow the impulses of my body— to rest when it wants to rest, and to move when it wants to move. Often I get up only because I have an “obligation to rise.” On days when I have no such obligation, I have allowed myself the time to rest.

For a while, I thought I would never get up if I did not have a reason. Yet, over time, I have found that I have 'the inclination to rise'...

...a call to spirit to move beyond the ordinary, to rise up in the face of pain, exhaustion, deep fatigue. Though the experience is personal to me, the query is universal: What inspires the soul to rise above the obstacles and challenges and natural propensities of life? Perhaps it is a desire for connection, a curiosity to discover something new, an experience of something inspiring or beautiful, or a sense of adventure. Perhaps it is all of these things and more."