female artists

"My responsibility as an artist is to work, to sing for my supper, to make art, beautiful and powerful, that adds and reveals; to beautify the mess of a messy world, to heal the sick and feed the helpless; to shout bravely from the rooftops and storm barricaded doors and voice the specificity of our historical moment."
That incredible statement is by Carrie Mae West, who began taking pictures in 1960s San Francisco to document the political, and grew to make her photographs the political, taking on historical construction of race, gender, and representation.

After WireTap blogger Biko Baker asked "Where is the Next Lauryn Hill?" last week bemoaning (what seemed like) the lack of women in rap and hip-hop, MC Invincible (interviewed in Bitch's Loud issue) wrote back suggesting dozens of female MCs from around the country. Check out her excellent list of recommendations and discover all the amazing female rappers you didn't know you were missing (I'm already hooked on New Jersey's Lady Luck).
New York female hip-hop collective ANOMOLIES
Read on for music shorts, plus new music recs and an mp3 from Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers!

As mentioned in this past Popaganda, I visited the Portland Art Museum this past weekend and completely fell in love with the detailed and often quirky work of Beth Van Hoesen. From red afros to tattooed men to skunks named Fleur, Van Hoesen's work is as whimsically unique as it is grounded in reality.

Read more after the jump!