The Women’s Empowerment Draft
(2020-2024)
Five Years / 150+ Icons / 200+ Partners
Repository (Google drive) available for educational use
Mission: To collaboratively and creatively honor Women’s History Month with a passionate fan-base similar to that of pro-sports. Through educational trading cards, sports jerseys, and social media posts - build a community of contributors following and supporting a collective effort.
Year 1 (2020) “The NFL Year”
Storyline: Program started with POP-UP ART-BUILDS IN NFL parking lots, asking fans to paint mosaic portraits of regional HERSTORY in theIR NFL team colors. (i.e. Susan B. Anthony with Buffalo Bills colors). STUDENTS TOURED SIX STADIUMS - FIVE UNAUTHORIZED.
Partners: The NFL Network (in the midst of EARLY STAGES COVID19 and a cancelled NFL draft) collaborate on producing a mock-draft ceremony and air a three-minute segment for NFL360 FEATURING 32 college students from around the country each promoting a regional icon - HENCE THE WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT DRAFT WAS BORN. (DESIGNS BY JILLIAN MULLEN, Trading card printing by St. Vincent Press and jerseys produced by Logo Print)
links: NFL VIDEO / SUSAN B. ANTHONY BUILD / Repository folder of full images
Year 2 (2021) “The S.U.N.Y. Year” (State University of New York)
Storyline: AFTER the nfl, the program turnED to 30 suny college partners, each picking an icon to celebrate. some chose national figures while others paID tribute to alumni, local heroes, or historic icons from their region.
Partners: Program WAS completely funded by partnering suny schools - and each school developED their own internal programming. the schools honoring living legends inviteD their icon to join in the festivities. many schools receiveD mosaic kits to build a physical tribute. (DESIGNS BY JILLIAN MULLEN, VIDEO BY BRI MERKEL, Trading card printing by St. Vincent Press and jerseys produced by Logo Print)
links: VIDEO / Repository folder of full images
Year 3 (2022) “The NYS Namesake Schools”
Storyline: SUNY, CUNY, and PRIVATE COLLEGES SPONSORED 31 k-12 schools named for women. extensive reseARCH BY aLFRED UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENTS TO FIND NYS SCHOOLS NAMED FOR WOMEN. IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY SCHOOL NAMED FOR A TRANSGENDER OR INDIGENOUS WOMAN, TWO ADDITIONAL ICONS WERE ADDED.
Partners: 25+ SUNY SPONSORS + 30 K-12 SCHOOLS! OUR BIGGEST COLLABORATION. INCLUDED A FIVE PUBLIC SCHOOL TOUR OF NYC IN MARCH 2022. (DESIGNS BY JILLIAN MULLEN, video by bri MERKEL, Trading card printing by St. Vincent Press and jerseys produced by Logo Print)
links: VIDEO / BLONEVA BOND MURAL / Repository folder of 2022 full images
Year 4 (2023) “The Nationwide / NBA / Namesake Schools”
Storyline: big changes for the Women’s empowerment draft as we combined themes from THE FIRST THREE years. with colleges ACTING AS sponsor, we sought K-12 schools named for women in the regions of nba teams (rather than nfl teams), WE created basketball jerseys, and encouraged nba FRANCHISES to get invovled (thanks FOR SHARING cleveland cavaliers!).
Partners: new designs by guest artist rori, and some imopressive work by partner K-12 SCHOOLS including an art build at emily warren roebling school in brooklyn. THANKS TO UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER AND NAZARETH UNIVERSITY as PREMIERE SPONSORS. PRODUCTION CONTINUED BY ST. VINCENT PRESS AND LOGO PRINT
links: Repository folder of full images
Year 5 (2024) “HARLEM RENAISSANCE” (renamed Women’s Empowerment MARCH)
Storyline: The first real THRU-storyline, connecting all the icons to the centennial of a specific moment in the harlem renaissance - jessie redmon fauset’s civic club dinner - which provided new access to black voices within the publishing world. THE BIOS FOLLOW A CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE MANY CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK WOMEN DURING THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY.
Partners: supported by the new york state art teachers association and their diversity, equity, and access committee. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT k-12 students created the designs for each icon - thanks to gate-chili middle school and lower manhattan community middle school. PRODUCTION CONTINUED BY ST. VINCENT PRESS AND LOGO PRINT
links: PDF of Poster / Repository folder of full images / SOCIAL MEDIA WITH #WeMARCH2024
