America stands at an inflection point. While we have been here many times before for many different reasons, we are currently experiencing a sea change in ideology and more specifically those who implement it. Freedoms we have fought for and learned to take for granted during our lifetimes are being rescinded. Women, especially the neediest among us, stand to lose the most. Our bodies and our choices are being usurped by those who care less for the living than the unborn.

On June 9th repro rights group POWERrepro hosted “Facing a Post-Roe World” at Marilyn Minter’s NYC studio. The event included an engaging panel discussion that included Oriaku Njoku, the founder of the event’s beneficiary, ARC-Southeast, lawyer and writer Julie Kay, and repro activist Allison Turkos. The program centered around an exhibition and auction of my artwork that speaks to human rights, feminism, and the impending SCOTUS abortion judgement. Half of all proceeds from my work was donated to our remarkable partners at ARC-Southeast. They will be using the funds to support those most impacted by the SCOTUS decision. By aiming to help women who are most in danger, and supporting grassroots organizations such as ARC-Southeast, I and POWER strive to bring about tangible funds and support for Southern women seeking reproductive freedom and autonomy over their own bodies.

Today, autonomy is yet again up for discussion. A predominantly white, male, right-wing governing body has chosen to value THEIR religious ideology over the safety, progress, and individual rights of their female constituents. The reversal of Roe v. Wade will most severely impact the most vulnerable among us. As is often the case, the burden will be shouldered by those without resources. These are the women ARC-Southeast serves.

When women have the right to decide their future path, namely motherhood, education and financial stability, our society benefits as a whole. Autonomy over our lives and bodies allows women trapped in poverty, who are excluded, intimidated, and pushed to the margins of society to choose a different path. By not perpetuating the cycle, women can uplift themselves and their families to independence. In so doing, not only can women live fuller personal lives, but they can open doors for themselves and their children to a more equal and just existence. Overturning Roe V. Wade is a direct affront to the upward mobility of women and families trapped in a system that does not support them or their needs. Quite simply, a woman’s choice is essential to their self-actualization and agency. When you strip away choice, there is nowhere to go.

In revoking such rights, we face the harsh reality of living in a less productive society. When the majority of efforts and energy are being used to keep people down as opposed to lifting them up, we end up perpetuating a false hierarchy, where women are placed below men and where our decisions are stripped out from under us by a handful of biased, self-motivated politicians. These sweeping decisions on female agency and human rights are a direct attempt to advance personal views and interests at the cost of ensuring the welfare of the people they are supposedly entrusted to represent and protect. This is not my version of representative government, of democracy, or of freedom.

Unfortunately, freedom appears to be so terribly subjective in America. We purport ourselves to be the leader of the free world. How is it then that freedom itself is continuously at stake? I grew up believing that my America is a place where we continually strive to better ourselves – correct prior wrongs, reach for equality and justice. A place where empathy replaces intolerance. This is where I believe art comes into play.

The arts can motivate a shift of consciousness and reveal truths about the human condition in a wholly unique way. The power of artistic impact can be used as a tool for good and a platform for the undervalued, underprivileged, and overlooked. I have devoted my work to this vision of who we should be and the values I believe to be essential to create a truly equal society. In this time of uncertainty and oppression, I can think of no better way to use my art.

Artists have the fundamental drive to build a bridge of connection from self to others through expression. In my practice, these are vital, compulsive acts of communication. If we, as visual communicators, can manage to connect the head to the heart and engage with issues that truly matter to us, we can bring about change. The arts have the power of aesthetic force; the ability to shift one’s critical awareness around an issue through a unique and accessible language. Using creativity as a modality for change is not new. Think of Emory Douglass and his revolutionary poster design for the Black Panther Party, of Rosie the Riveter and her rolled-up sleeves, or of the Beatles “all you need is love.” The list goes on. The power of the arts are simply transcendent, so we must allow them to transcend us.

The modern world seems to embody the struggle between apathy and empathy. Our greatest challenge to combating the deterioration of human rights is pervasive apathetic thinking. “This doesn’t impact me directly, therefore, why would I involve myself?” However, when there is a face, a story, or an image associated with injustice, it becomes humanized and therefore relatable. Telling a story, delivering a narrative, painting a portrait all serve to further humanize strife. Quite simply, when we cannot see it, we cannot feel it.

Effective art requires engagement, reflection, and critical thinking. When the power of visuals becomes coupled with an active call for involvement, we not only begin to open people’s eyes, but their minds. Viewers can then bridge the empathy chasm so predominant in our society today. The value of an artwork lies in its creator’s ability to relate whatever moved them, so that the viewer can empathically participate in the experience as closely as possible. This bridge of connection between a viewer and the artist’s concept and intention can be a galvanizing influence. My goal is to use art to open the door for one to examine their own ways of thinking, their own perspectives and the impact their choices have on this world.

While the concept and content of a piece of artwork is fundamental when dealing with social justice and human rights movements, so is the “call to action!” Creating meaningful work in a vacuum, only to be digested on social media platforms is important for social consciousness, but real change happens in real life. In my practice, half of the work is what “appears on the paper”, and the other half lies in what is being done “off the paper.” What actions am I taking to ensure a safer and more productive future for my fellow Americans through the development, dissemination, and sale of this work? That is the synthesis of art and activism. Yes, it is important to creatively contribute to a social dialogue, but it is just as essential to create a tangible result for those you strive to represent. It is not a passive process, but a call to action.

Consequently, I am delighted to share that on June 9th, POWERepro and I were able to raise a six-figure sum to be fully donated to ARC-Southeast. This donation will provide funding and logistical support to ensure Southerners receive safe and compassionate reproductive care including abortion services. Through education and leadership development, ARC-Southeast continuously works to build power in communities of color to abolish stigma and restore dignity and justice.

To me, empathy and creativity are the most essential elements in repairing ourselves and our society. The synthesis of the two is where true insight lies. On one hot and sticky NYC evening, the power of art, women, and human rights activism enabled a small group of people to raise enough money to fully support ARC-Southeast for over a month, ensuring that women from six states are treated with dignity and respect as well as given agency over their own bodies and destinies. That is the power of art and activism.

Author’s bio: Alex Rudin is a NYC based multimedia artist & illustrator focused on social justice and abstract political theory. Alex’s artwork is narratively focused with a strong emphasis on expressive portraiture. The majority of her work attempts to comment on the complexities of the human experience through stylized portraiture and anecdotal commentary. Alex’s focus lies in uncovering and expressing the truths of what it is like to live in modern America.

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“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

These values mark the gateway to our nation. My America is a place where hope beats out fear, where fairness overtakes privilege, and where empathy replaces intolerance. The Age of Empathy exhibition serves as a real-time emotional analysis of the year that brought America to its knees. The artwork poignantly suggests vulnerability and compassion as an antidote for our societal struggles.

We collectively experienced the onset of COVID-19, the tumultuous and existential 46^th presidential election, as well as the deafening cries for racial and social justice.  Twenty-twenty gave way to extremist thinking, violence, pervasive fear, and disdain for one another. In the chaos of what was, we now find ourselves trying to make sense of it all.  While the past year still reverberates through our collective conscience, it is the lessons we glean through our discomfort that must guide us. The Age of Empathy tackles issues that affect us all — feminism, racial justice, COVID-19, mental health, antisemitism, sexual abuse and human rights — to name a few.

However, as fear and hatred took center stage, so too did empathy and compassion.  The experience of 2020 aided in exposing and amplifying the extremes in our society.  The American people were and continue to be at a precipice. The Age of Empathy exhibition challenges whether ignorance and exclusion will continue to drive power politics. The artwork begs the question: will tolerance and justice embrace the ever-changing face of the United States? While this is a question generally posed to an entire nation, it is critical to understand that “We, the people” comprise that nationhood. Our voices are our choices and therein lies the power. We must bring our individual sense of empathy to the nation at large. In this way, we can steer a path towards inclusion and equality.

The creation of this exhibition was a long time coming. I have always been very drawn towards social issues and standing up for the oppressed. Having gone to a Quaker school for 14 years, social awareness and empathy were ingrained in my psychology. Being raised Jewish, has also given me a level of awareness around injustice that is tremendously personal. While these are developmental conditions, concrete events surely spurred me to shift gears and focus on making work that sparks conversation.

It started with COVID-19. Suddenly, I found myself far away from the studio and print shop I call home. Struggling with what to make and how to help, I decided to create a series of paintings to auction off to homeless and trafficked youth in NYC. Soon to follow were the atrocious murders of George Floyd, Ahmed Aubry, and Breonna Taylor, which brought racial justice to the forefront of the American conscience. I quickly followed suit and created an auction to donate 100% of proceeds to support the Black Lives Matter movement. I realized that it was time to allow my artwork to reflect the times and struggles of our country which so deeply affected me and so many others. Next the election reared its ugly head. An election where so much was at stake. History called upon all with a voice to rise up and speak, and that is exactly what I have been doing ever since. While my work spans from antisemitism to feminism, from climate change to voting rights, it all stemmed from the experience that was 2020.

Since the start of COVID-19 and the exacerbation of our societal issues, I have learned the incredible importance of urgency. Waiting is no longer an option. The time is now, and that is exactly the point of this show. The Age of Empathy holds a mirror up to anyone willing to look. It will highlight your morals, your vulnerabilities, your complexes, your short-comings, and principles, but ultimately it will point you towards compassion and acceptance not only for yourself, but for everyone else that shares this earth.

Additionally, The Age of Empathy is a rallying cry for actionable generosity, for community engagement and empathic caring. While it is important to consume and share artwork, it is also critical to engage with the issues such work addresses. Galvanizing excitement and educating around humanitarian issues in conjunction with partnering with not-for-profits and human rights organizations enables others to become involved and speak about the issues they face. It is critical that the work does not simply take up space but contributes to a society and/or community in a tangible and effective way. The ultimate goal of The Age of Empathy is to inspire others to contribute positively and meaningfully to their community, help those in need, or speak up for what they believe. Then the ripple effect of Tikkun Olam begins to take place, something I hold dear to my heart. The mission is to elevate empathy to become a valued and typical characteristic of the American people. We are far from this reality, but art is an essential tool in the struggle to attain compassion for all.

To enact tangible change, for the inaugural exhibition at Jersey City City Hall, I partnered with four local charities who have done substantial work in their community. Twenty percent of all proceeds were distributed between these charity partners. The ministry of the York Street Project is a weaving of innovative programs which provide an environment to shelter, feed, educate and promote the healing of persons in need, especially women, children, and their families. Sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, the York Street Project expresses in direct service to the poor the religious congregation’s commitment to peace through justice. The project begins a second century of loving ministry of the sisters and their collaborators who work with the poor and oppressed in Jersey City.

​​For over 115 years, WomenRising has been helping women and their families. Their clients are in need – in need of jobs, safety from domestic violence, freedom from homelessness, safe lives for children. WomenRising meets these needs by providing supportive counseling, crisis intervention, workforce development and job placement, permanent supportive housing, shelter for survivors of domestic violence, outreach, advocacy, referrals, and much more. WomenRising is the foremost community-based organization for women in Hudson Country. WomenRising assists women and their families to achieve self-sufficiency and live safe, productive, and fulfilling lives, through social services, economic development, and advocacy services.

Hudson Pride Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community-based organization situated in Jersey City, one of the most vibrant and diverse cities in this country and home to the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) community in New Jersey. Hudson Pride was established in the early 1990’s to serve as an advocate and social service provider for both the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities in Hudson County at a time when few organizations in our area were willing and able to do so, and more than 25 years later, we continue to deliver a wide array of services, programs, and events to meet their on-going health and social support needs.

Last, but certainly not least, the Women’s Rights Information Center provides knowledge and opportunities to support the economic aspirations, self-sufficiency, and emotional well-being of individuals so they may live with hope, security, and dignity. While discussing women’s issues around a kitchen table in the spring of 1973, founder Phoebe and several other inspired women, organized to create a clearing house of reliable information for women striving to become self­-sufficient and facing difficult decisions.

The Age of Empathy exhibition furthers conversation and spreads awareness.  The purpose is to create dialogue, promote actionable change, and to spark personal introspection and growth. Art is the great communicator, and it is my firm belief that artists are the gateway to a deeper truth about the human condition. Art allows viewers to connect, empathize, and feel on a deeper level through powerful images. Effective art begs the viewer to contemplate, to sit in discomfort, and to confront. If we can manage to connect the head to the heart and engage with issues that truly matter to us, we can bring about a new era. The arts have the power of aesthetic force; the ability to shift one’s critical awareness around an issue. That being said, using creativity as a modality and vehicle for change is a tale as old as time. Think of Emory Douglass and his revolutionary poster design for the Black Panther Party, of Rosie the Riveter and her rolled-up sleeves, of the Beatles “All you need is love.” The list goes on. The power of the arts are simply transcendent, so we must allow them to transcend us.

While our recent struggles have called for a realignment of principles, it has also forced us to take inventory of our lives and reset our moral compasses. empathy must become our new true north. By tackling topics that touch most of our lives – social justice, feminism, racial equality, climate change, and religious intolerance to name a few – it becomes easier to envisage a true Age of Empathy. Let this series act as a model for how empathy can shift one’s critical awareness regarding the issues that remain at the forefront of the American conscience.  In this way, perhaps we can learn to see one another with more compassion.

The future of the Age of Empathy Exhibition is bright. The exhibition will begin to travel starting in 2022. I am looking forward to sharing this show with as many cities and people as possible. The Age of Empathy is a movement, and we are just getting started.

Author’s bio: Alex Rudin is a NYC based multimedia artist & illustrator focused on social justice and abstract political theory. In 2019 she founded her creative studio Rudin Studios, LLC. Alex’s artwork is narratively focused with a strong emphasis on expressive portraiture. The majority of her work attempts to comment on the complexities of the human experience through stylized portraiture and anecdotal commentary. Alex’s focus lies in uncovering and expressing the truths of what it is like to live in modern America. She is currently focused on creating work to galvanize action around social and political issues. This year Alex has partnered with organizations such as Women For Biden Harris 2020, Women for the Win, WomenRising, Women’s Rights Information Center , and Her Bold Move among numerous other female led socio-political  orgs in addition to working in the human rights space with organizations such as Article 3, The Representation Project and the Sam & Devorah Foundation for Trans youth. Rudin’s work has been featured in publications such as Art Daily, Authority Magazine, yahoo!, and USA Today, to name a few. Alex’s fine art work has been shown in both solo and group exhibitions in New York City, Great Neck, Delaware, Philadelphia, and the Hamptons.  Alex recently debuted the inaugural 32 piece exhibition of The Age of Empathy at Jersey City, City Hall. The Age of Empathy is slated to start touring in 2022. 

For more of Alex Rudin’s work, please visit her Instagram @_alexrudin, portfolio website www.alexrudin.com, or her online store www.rudinstudios.com.

All images by Alex Rudin.

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