Art for Social Change: Silent No More - Louise Pentz: A Voice for Social Change

No longer willing to remain silent about the injustice she sees, Nova Scotia ceramist Louise Pentz uses her art as a force for social change. 'I'm just one person. What can I do?' Many of us ask ourselves that question when we see a need for social change. For Nova Scotia ceramist Louise Pentz, using her art as her voice became her way of speaking out about injustices against women due to social, political, religious or family circumstances. In 'Silent No More', Louise outlines her path from art teacher to production potter to sculptor. Along the way she introduces us to smoke firing, the use of ochres, and the women who became models for her work. Pentz shapes clay into life-size female sculptures, scoring, marking and scarring them to create tactile surfaces that reflect the experiences of women whose lives have been restrained by culture, religion, illiteracy and fear. She urges us all to find our own voice to speak out for social change, whatever our cause. As Louise so eloquently says, 'Silence is not neutral. Silence is like giving permission.'