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Friday, March 13, 2026A Section Arts & CultureBy TERRI SCHLICHENMEYERThe history books seem to be full of men.Galileo, Frederick Douglass. Abraham Lincoln. Jesse Jackson, Franklin Roosevelt, the list goes on. So this month, put a few women on your radar by reading these great Women%u2019s History Month books%u2026Soon, your mind may turn to gardening and greenery and %u201cWhen Trees Testify%u201d by Beronda L. Montgomery (Henry Holt, $27.99) is a great place to start.Written by a renowned biologist, this book explains how African Americans have made their mark on the world of botany, and vice versa. Trees, especially, have been essential in Black history, and Montgomery writes specifically about seven of them, plus the cotton shrub. This is a great book for historians, of course, but also for gardeners, homeowners, and anyone who appreciates a tree.Everything has to start somewhere, and in %u201cRiding Into History%u201d by Amy Nathan with Sarah Keys Evans (Duke University Press, $29.95), you%u2019ll read the story of Women%u2019s Army Corps PFC Sarah Keys, who was trying to take a bus home from her post at Fort Dix, New Jersey when she was arrested for disorderly conduct for doing what Rosa Parks would do some three years later. Her actions, says Nathan, still resonate today. This is an important story to read, one that%u2019s not often told when talking about the Civil Rights Movement. (Out March 24).Another little-told story in women%u2019s history that you%u2019ll like knowing is that of Sylvia Moy, so find %u201cIt%u2019s No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown%u2019s Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy%u201d by Margena A. Christian (DaCapo, $30).You%u2019ll want to dust off your favorite vinyl when you read this book about the woman who wrote songs for Stevie Wonder, The Isley Brothers, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Temptations. She was the first woman to become an in-house Motown producersongwriter, and she had to fight to keep that place. You%u2019ll like this incredible, untilnow-hidden story, especially if you%u2019re a fan of old-school tunes from back in the day.And finally, if you%u2019ve ever had a mother, then %u201cBlack. Single. Mother.%u201d by Jamilah Lemieux (Roc Lit, $32.00) is a book that%u2019ll make you want to thank her. This is a wide but intimate examination of being a single mom that happens to be Black %u2013 the ups and downs, the myths, the nasty comments and the absolute joys. It%u2019s about what it%u2019s like to raise kids without their father around, and why respect and love from the rest of society is long overdue. Written through interviews with more than twenty single Black moms, this is a strong look at a topic that%u2019s rarely examined in such a wide, openhearted way. (out March 10)And if these books aren%u2019t enough, then head to your favorite bookstore or library and ask for more. The staff there can help you find whatever you need to read for Women%u2019s History Month, in almost any category and for almost any age group. All you gotta do is ask %u2013 because, isn%u2019t it time that women take their place in history, too?chloegm@indyrecorder.comBy CHLOE McGOWAN%u00a0Artful Purpose invites Hoosiers to enjoy a little art for a good cause.Artful Purpose, curated by local artist and former educator Mattie Jones, is an art auction designed to raise funds to help Gennesaret Free Clinics provide free health care to Indianapolis%u2019 underserved and unhoused communities.%u00a0%u201cArt can be used for more than just aesthetics, and putting it on your wall to enjoy,%u201d Jones said. It%u2019s (Artful Purpose) saying that art can have a proper impact on providing for others, and it does have an impact on making people feel a certain way with their moods and everything. But now we%u2019re using it beyond that.%u201dFounded by Dr. James Trippi in 1988, Gennesaret Free Clinics provides a range of free services to Indianapolis residents, including health care, dental care, women%u2019s health and hygiene kits with necessities for Indianapolis%u2019 unhoused residents, Milele Kennedy, executive director of Gennesaret Free Clinics, told the Recorder. Providers volunteer their time at the various office locations, including St. Vincent de Paul and Gleaners Food Bank; Medical Respite Shelters/Health Recovery Homes and the mobile clinic.However, Gennesaret can%u2019t do it all alone and relies on volunteers and donations to keep services free for clients, which is why local artists coming together to donate their work %u201cspeaks volumes about how the community relates to Gennesaret, wants to support Gennesaret and lift up the work that we do,%u201d Kennedy said.%u201cArt is a great way to express so many feelings, and it%u2019s something that everyone can appreciate,%u201d Kennedy said. %u201cWe really want to ensure that people get to experience not only the great artwork that%u2019s being presented there, but get to experience a little bit more of Gennesaret and get to know Gennesaret.%u201dJones spent most of her career in higher education but left her position in 2023 to focus on her artwork and advocating for homeless individuals. During the pandemic, Jones began photographing Indianapolis%u2019 unhoused residents as a reference for her paintings to raise awareness of the housing crisis and its impact on families and children.While participating in Art Saves Lives, a juried art show at the Athenaeum, Jones met Trippi, who%u2019s also a cardiologist with Ascension St. Vincent. Trippi bought one of Jones%u2019 paintings for Gennesaret and hung it in one of the Medical Respite Shelters %u2014 or Health Recovery Homes within the community where unhoused individuals can stay while they recover from surgery, Kennedy said.After delivering the painting by hand, Jones said she donated the money Trippi paid for the painting back to the clinic and proposed Artful Purpose, an art auction that would directly benefit health organizations serving underserved communities.%u201cI%u2019ve done a lot in education that%u2019s been really rewarding, but this has given my art purpose and meaning, and it%u2019s something I%u2019ve always had my head in my heart to do,%u201d Jones said. %u201cI feel like I%u2019m a successful artist because I%u2019m able to do this that will give back to the community.%u201dArtful Purpose will be Jones%u2019 first exhibit as a curator, and she said the auction will feature donated works from artists across Central Indiana, including Rebecca Robinson and Tony Dickerson, as well as live music from Erick Oneal Fisher and Eric Zhong, light refreshments and drinks. Guests will have the opportunity to bid on art pieces or donate directly to the clinic.Gennesaret%u2019s Recovery Center will be open during the events, allowing guests to explore the location and its offerings while viewing the artwork, Kennedy said. The Medical Respite Shelter team will also be on-site alongside a few of the residents to showcase how funding can best support them.%u201cA lot of this will go towards the maintenance of our homes (Medical Respite Shelters), being able to ensure that any repairs that need to be done on the home can be done,%u201d Kennedy said. %u201cWe also want to keep up our beautification efforts, both inside and out. We want our residents to feel like they are right at home in the space.%u201dThe funding will also allow Gennesaret to see more patients via the mobile unit and a new partnership with We Bloom Recovery Cafe to support physical, mental and spiritual wellness, Kennedy said.Artful Purpose takes place from 6-8 p.m. on April 10 at the Gennesaret Free Clinics administrative office, 615 N. Alabama St, Suite 136. The event is free and open to the public. For more information or to reserve a spot, visit eventbrite.com/e/artful-purpose2026-tickets-1984393816323Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.chloegm@indyrecorder.comBy CHLOE McGOWAN%u00a0The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art welcomes Hoosiers to explore a new exhibition dedicated to fashion designer Jerry Lee Atwood.Cowboy Couture: The Fashion of Jerry Lee Atwood showcases the Indianapolis-based designer%u2019s custom-made Western wear %u2014 including the flashy, embroidered suits worn by artists on red carpets and in music videos. Running March 28 through Aug. 2, the exhibition celebrates the artistry behind the pieces Atwood has created over the course of his career, according to a press release.%u201cCowboy Couture is a stunning and unexpected exhibition that showcases how Jerry Lee Atwood has earned national and international recognition while continuing to live and create in Indianapolis, the city he proudly calls home,%u201d Kathryn Haigh, Eiteljorg President and CEO, said in a statement. %u201cHis work reminds us that world-class artistic innovation isn%u2019t limited to the coasts, it%u2019s happening right here, in our own community.%u201dAtwood initially began creating Western wear as a hobby, inspired by the cowboy-themed costumes country music stars wore on album covers and during onstage performances in the 1960s and %u201870s. He later turned this hobby into a career, founding Union Western Clothing with business partner Joe David in Indianapolis in 2013 to design custom-made suits for special occasions, featuring embroidered designs telling the wearer%u2019s story.Celebrity stylists eventually discovered Atwood%u2019s work through Instagram and began commissioning him to design suits for their clients, according to a press release.Atwood%u2019s celebrity clients have included Post Malone, who wore an Atwood blue eagle-talon suit to the 2017 American Music Awards; Lil Nas X, who wore a fringed Atwood suit in the 2019 music video for %u201cOld Town Road.%u201d Atwood and his studio also appeared in a 2021 Vogue magazine spread.Cowboy Couture examines Atwood%u2019s creative process through photographs and design sketches, including a vignette with items from his Indianapolis studio. The exhibition features a selection of suits Atwood has designed, each with his distinctive chainstitch embroidery style, connecting classic country music looks with the pop culture of the American West, according to a press release.%u201cI hope that people walking into the exhibit will appreciate the historical context of it, but also the lasting power of this style of suit, and see up close all the work that goes into it,%u201d Atwood said in a statement. %u201cFashion at its core is art. Actual tailored suits and clothing are as much art as is a painting %u2014 especially since everything I make literally starts with a drawing. I really want people to see that whole process.%u201dThroughout the exhibit, guests will learn how Atwood%u2019s work calls back to 20th-century western wear designers %u2014 such as Nudie Cohn and Nathan Turk, who designed elaborate rhinestone outfits for country music performers %u2014 and to earlier examples of 19th-century Native and vaquero attire.%u00a0Cowboy Couture will host supplemental programming alongside the exhibition, including the following:%u00a0March 27, 6-8:30 p.m. %u2014 VIP Night, featuring an opportunity to meet designer Jerry Lee Atwood and get an exclusive look at the Cowboy Couture exhibit.March 28, 10 a.m. %u2014 Exhibition opening, featuring Atwood and Museum curators leading guided tours through the exhibit, discussing stories behind each of the pieces.April 18, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. %u2014 Designer Amber Gyselinck will lead guests in a workshop to create their own bolo ties.July 3, 5-7 p.m. %u2014 Saloon Night, featuring a Western-themed concert with line dancing and local band the Indy Annies. Admission is free.Cowboy Couture: The Fashion of Jerry Lee Atwood runs from March 28 to Aug. 2 at the Eiteljorg Museum. The exhibition is included with general admission. For more information to register for VIP Night, Saloon Night and other supplemental programming, visit eiteljorg.org/events.Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.Books for Women%u2019s History Month by various authorsEiteljorg showcases %u2018Cowboy Couture,%u2019 the work of Jerry Lee Atwood%u201cBigfoot and Armadillo Suit,%u201d created by Jerry Lee Atwood. (Loan Courtesy of Chris Purcell)(Photo/Terri Schlichenmeyer)Hoosier artists to host auction to raise funds for Gennesaret Free Clinic