The Glendale Community College Art Gallery hosted an artist talk and exhibition by feminist artist Naomi White on the third floor of the campus library on October 30th. 

The gallery’s soft lighting and white walls displayed White’s mixed-media works, which explore themes of history, ecology, power, and the often-overlooked connections that link these subjects.

The exhibition featured layered pieces incorporating materials such as ash, wax, and newspaper fragments. According to White, these materials were chosen to evoke ideas of time, memory, and transformation.

“History isn’t static,” White. “It’s made up of layers, stories that get buried and sometimes need to be unearthed from the ashes, quite literally.”

White also spoke about the role of feminist perspectives in her art. She described feminism as a lens rather than a topic, explaining that it shapes the kinds of narratives she seeks to highlight.

Her recent works involve the “excavation” of images depicting women involved in labor strikes, Indigenous activists, and under recognized climate scientists, addressing what she described as patterns of historical erasure. White noted that she has been working in this approach for about five years.

During the presentation, White reference a piece featuring a scorched map layered with archival text. She said that the artwork examines what remains after social or ecological systems collapse. “It’s about whose voices we still hear even after everything burns,” she said. “I hope (visitors) leave with questions big or small and maybe the courage to go find the answers,”

The event offers attendees insight into White’s artistic process and her efforts to bring overlooked histories into contemporary conversations about the future.