Portfolio > Power of the Purse

Vote Blue
Price includes shipping cost.
Electroluminescent wire on Vintage Purse
15" x 12" x 3.5"
2020
Equal Pay
El Wire on Vintage purses
2015
Time's UP
Neon on Vintage Case
2018
Power of the Purse
Vintage purses and Electroluminescent wire
66" x 96"
2018
#MeToo
Neon on Vintage Case
16" x 16" x 8"
November 2017
Pussy Grabs Back, trump, trump tower, Chicago, Feminist, Hillary Clinton
October 14, 2016
Wage Gaps
Vintage Purses and electroluminescent wire
2017
Vote
2016
Neon on Vintage briefcase
12" x 18" x 5"
2015
TimeOut New York
February 2015
neon, feminist art, pro-choice
Neon on Vintage Case
2015
Wage Gaps, Pay Equity, Wage Gap, Equal Pay,
El Wire on Vintage purses
2015
Feminist 2/28
Electroluminiscent Wire on Vintage purse
10" x 14" x 4"
2015
Pro Choice 8/28
Electroluminiscent Wire on Vintage purse
2015
Equality
EL Wire on Vintage Purse
10" x 15" x 4"
2015
My Body My Business #1
EL Wire on Vintage Purse
17" x 13" x 3"
2015
Pro Choice
Neon on Vintage Purse
2014
#Access 1/28
Electroluminiscent Wire on Vintage purse
11" x 11" x 3"
2015
My Body My Business #2
EL Wire on Vintage Purse
14" x 13" x 3"
2015

You can purchase purses at Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York, to view available bags, call them at (212) 966-6676 or email nancyhoffmannhg@gmail.com

Her purses have been carried on the red carpet at the Oscars, and have been featured in Vanity Fair Magazine, Style Magazine, The Financial Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Vogue.com, and MsMagazine.com.


Artist Statement
Each piece is unique in that it is made with individually-sourced vintage purses. In addition, I make only 10 purses of each word or phrase.

I chose purses as my canvas as a way to marry the powerful, politically-charged language of today's resistance with representations of women's modern economic power and the possibilities for change that come with it. For me, the use of purses from the mid-twentieth century also calls back to that critical era in the women's movement and reminds us how much power we have to effect meaningful change.

The Power of the Purse title is inspired by the 2017 passage of Republican tax reform and its far-reaching negative implications for women’s rights. It is also a call to action for women, and men, to redouble their efforts to fight the growth of moneyed privileged and show up at the polls.

The purses are meant to be carried and serve as small-scale political billboards. The text on each purse is created using an Electroluminescent wire that is lit up using batteries and a small electronic driver that can be set to constant or flash mode.

This body of work is rooted in my formative years growing up in Berkeley, California, during the 70's, where I was exposed to the women’s movement. It is also a continued homage to my father, Allan Pred, who inspired the feminist in me at an early age.

Michele Pred 2019