Andover’s Intersectional Feminist Forum (IFFo) recently hosted artist Rixy Fernandez in a discussion about her work, which is on display in the Gelb Gallery. During the event, Fernandez delved into her multifaceted approach to expressing feminism and intersectionality through her art.
Murathime Daisley ’26, a member of the IFFo, spoke to the significance of the club’s mission in advancing feminism. She highlighted the IFFo’s past discussions and work in expanding the scope of feminist perspectives.
“[IFFo] is the concept of different parts of identity feeding into feminism: your class, race, gender, sexual preferences. I’d say that intersectionality is a really important concept that we should get more accustomed with because it allows us to deeply understand how a wide group of people can be infected by big types of oppression such as sexism or racism or anything else like that,” said Daisley.
She continued, “Traditional feminism was a movement which advocated essentially for the rights of cisgender, predominantly, wealthy white women, [but] intersectionality is essentially a more inclusive take on feminism. At IFFo, we talk a lot about the crossover with sexuality, race, class, socioeconomic status, political views and how they affect feminism and how we, as female-identifying people, view ourselves as well as others.”
In accordance with this intersectionality, Rixy Fernandez explained how her artwork relates to and expresses similar ideas. She noted how her background and own personal experiences have contributed to and inspired some of her pieces.
“I’m sharing some old works that I have that are different illustrations of female characters on upcycled canvases. With these, I’ve tried to create a world where all the characters live. Hopefully, others feel inspired to think about their own worlds and universes and be a character in their own spaces. I usually do [these works] in public spaces or [as] murals to bring these conversations in bigger ways,” said Fernandez.
As someone who is experienced in many career subjects, Fernandez shared how one of her main goals, both at Andover and through her art, is to inspire conversations and to evoke curiosity and growth in participants.
“I really appreciate academia and learning and growth, so my main goal is to still be able to provide new conversations and knowledge about what is out there in the world. I remember being a high schooler and just being very curious about exploring, but not knowing what was out there. I love talking about all these different routes and paths to arts, education, programming, and even some of the more administrative entrepreneurial things I do,” said Fernandez.
She added, “I like to use my work as a foot in the door for bigger conversations and help others find what makes them happy. At a school like PA, [everyone] is so smart and surrounded by so many resources, so I hope it was a way for you all to realize all that’s out there, and encourage y’all to dream big and go for it.”
Georgianna Harpole ’25, a board member of IFFo and attendee of the event on Sunday, elaborated further upon the themes and objectives of Fernandez’s work. She noted how Fernandez’s inclusion of personal experience and her exploration of living as a woman is closely tied to the emotional impact of her art.
“Rixy mentioned that the narrative through a lot of her art was based on the experience of herself and the women around her, and relates to the experience of living in a woman’s body. So part of [her work] is conceptions of sexuality as opposed to sexuality in her perspective, meaning that women’s beauty can be appreciated without being sexualized. She plays with that a bit, and this can relate to the sensations we emotionally feel in her artwork, and even perhaps the sensations from the different multimedia tools and methods she uses in the art piece,” said Harpole.
Harpole mentioned one painting depicting a pregnant (humanoid) woman, talking about how it struck her because of how many revelations and questions about feminism it invoked. She pointed out Fernandez’s skill at provoking thought through her artistry.
“I looked at that painting, and I thought that something that is tied across many cultures to what it means to be an adult woman is still misunderstood, even by adult women: how do we value motherhood? I think that painting summed up the crux of the event, which was to get people to think about how their relationship with sex and gender might interact with their lives. It shows some of Rixy’s great technical skills, and that art has the ability to teach us things and represent things that we can’t fully comprehend through a data string,” said Harpole.
In a final message to the community, Fernandez encouraged students to be confident and strong-willed in their pursuits. She emphasized resilience to young women who are exploring their interests and work paths.
“It is very tough to be a woman in male-dominated fields, but I think that if you’re really passionate, you’re going to find a way to do it. As a girl, nothing should stop you. Don’t listen to people trying to box you in or slow you down. Especially as a kid, y’all are so smart and young and have all this time to make decisions, so if it makes sense to you, that’s all that matters. That’s what’s important, even if your friends and family might not get it,” said Fernandez.
