What it’s like painting 100 influential women in a year

Gayle Kabaker was asked to create portraits of trailblazing individuals from around the world to help recognise their achievements. Suzette Moyer and Junne Alcantara spoke to the artist to find out how she did it

Amanda Nguyen, a social entrepreneur, civil rights activist and CEO, in acrylic form (All images Gayle Kabaker)

Artist Gayle Kabaker has been making colourful, vivid illustrations for more than 35 years – with several gracing the cover of The New Yorker. But never before had she painted 100 portraits in less than a year.

In 2019, Kabaker, 60, was asked by the Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international nonprofit organisation that champions female leaders around the world, to help recognise dozens of women for their social, economic, cultural and political achievements. Kabaker didn’t hesitate for a moment.

“[Vital Voices co-founder Alyse Nelson] called me to talk about the project, and I could tell she was slowly getting to the idea of me doing all 100,” Kabaker says. “I think I stopped her when she was explaining it to say, ‘You can stop now. I am in’. It was kind of like a ‘you had me at hello’ moment.”

Kabaker’s work culminated in Vital Voices: 100 Women Using their Power to Empower, an exhibit on display at Washington DC’s Kennedy Centre from 8 to 21 March. And on 11 March, six of those women – Joy Buolamwini, Obiageli Ezekwesili, Nadia Murad, Leah Lizarondo, Mayki Graff and Suam Fonseca – were honoured at the 2020 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards at the arts centre.

“Twenty-twenty is a special anniversary year for women in this country and around the world. We wanted to do something special that we had never done before –celebrating how far women have come while inspiring the next generation,” says Nelson, president and chief executive of Vital Voices. “It was important to include both women who are household names and those unsung heroines in the front lines of change.”

Kabaker began the project in May 2019 and finished the portraits this February.

“I was thrilled. Excited. Scared at how many had to be done within a very tight timeline,” she says. “I knew that I’d have to be super careful with my time. No social plans! It was painting, exercising, jogging with my dog, making healthy food... I tried to keep life as simple as possible.”

Kabaker researched all of the women and got ideas from Nelson, but she would often procrastinate before starting a portrait.

Amanda has been so successful getting laws passed for rape victims, and I wanted to show victorious women with her

“I was scared. But once I got into the flow, I was OK,” she says. “I’d often meditate before starting – to be guided to capture each woman’s essence in a way that [Nelson and I would] both be happy with.

“Painting such a wide range of women of all ages, from all over the world, and getting to know each of these amazing, strong, brave women by reading about them and studying their faces carefully from photos in order to catch their likeness in a painting has felt like such a privilege,” Kabaker adds. “It’s been quite an education. Sometimes uplifting and exciting, other times really painful to realise the tragedies in these women’s lives that led them to become activists.”

Here are 10 of Kabaker’s 100 portraits, along with her thoughts about creating each one.

Joy Buolamwini (Gayle Kabaker)

Joy Buolamwini

Joy Buolamwini, a Ghanaian American born in Canada and raised in Mississippi, is a computer scientist, poet and digital activist. She is the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, which uses art and research to expose racial and gender bias in artificial intelligence technologies.

“Joy was one of the last – and quickest – portraits I painted, so I was really warmed up,” says Kabaker. “Her glasses and hair were just so much fun – she was one of the easiest to capture. She’s a disrupter, but one with confidence and creativity. When I look at this painting I feel, ‘Yeah. I got her’.”

Obiageli Ezekwesili (Gayle Kabaker)

Obiageli Ezekwesili

Nigerian-born Obiageli Ezekwesili was one of the first to speak out when Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls in the town of Chibok in 2014. She is a pro-democracy activist and co-founder of Transparency International, an anti-corruption institution. In 2019, she ran for president of Nigeria – as the only female candidate. She ended up withdrawing her candidacy, but has continued to help change the political culture of her country and Africa.

“Oby has wonderful distinctive features. I looked at many photos of her and feel I captured her strength,” says Kabaker. “I created the pattern on her dress based on one of her outfits. Patterns are simply just fun for me to paint. I paint each woman’s clothing in a way I’m confident it captures their style.”

Dame Donna Langley (Gayle Kabaker)

Dame Donna Langley

A native of the UK and now living in Los Angeles, Dame Donna Langley has been the chair of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group since 2019. She is the creative strategist behind the Fast & Furious and Bourne movies, as well as Pitch Perfect, Mamma Mia and The Danish Girl among many others. She is an ambassador for the Vital Voices Global Ambassadors Programme and also serves on Vital Voices’ board of directors.

“I painted Donna twice,” explains Kabaker. “When I was almost finished with all of [the paintings], Alyse asked if I had time to ‘revisit’ Donna, as she didn’t think I’d quite gotten her. Once I started looking at more photos of Donna, I had to agree. I knew I could do better, so I completely repainted her – and I just loved how she came out. Now it really feels like her. She’s one of my favourites.”

Leah Lizarondo (Gayle Kabaker)

Leah Lizarondo

Leah Lizarondo, co-founder of 412 Food Rescue, is on a mission to end hunger and reduce environmental damage caused by food waste. Born and raised in the Philippines, Lizarondo now lives in Pittsburgh, US, where she helped create an app that keeps leftover food from from being thrown away. 412 Food Rescue has more than 10,000 volunteer drivers in six North American cities, and Lizarondo hopes to create a global movement that reaches 100 cities by 2030.

“Since Leah’s company was about distributing food to people, it was fun to incorporate an abstract background of fruits and veggies,” says Kabaker. “On some of the portraits, adding some kind of background related to the work made obvious sense. But I had to be careful with my time as adding backgrounds often takes longer, and until I could see the light at the end, I was trying to be mindful of keeping to a schedule.”

Nadia Murad (Gayle Kabaker)

Nadia Murad

In 2014, Nadia Murad and thousands of other Iraqi Yazidi women were kidnapped by Isis in Iraq, and several members of Murad’s family were killed,” explains Kabaker. “She is now a human rights activist, founding Nadia’s Initiative, a nonprofit organisation that advocates for survivors of sexual violence. In 2018, Murad was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with survivors of genocide and sexual violence.

“Nadia’s story is very intense, and it took me a bit to capture her. She is strong,” she says. “I wanted it to be serious – but also, she has a beautiful smile. I must have seen her wearing a pattern like this as I’d never just do a random pattern. The red background felt right for her.”

Mayki Ortega and Suam Fonseca (Gayle Kabaker)

Mayki Ortega and Suam Fonseca

Honduran graffiti artists Mayki Ortega and Suam Fonseca, of Dolls Clan, claim to be that country’s first feminist graffiti artist duo. Since 2014, the pair have used their art to promote gender equality in a country known for its high rate of femicide and strict laws on reproductive rights. Both in their twenties, Ortega and Fonseca are dedicated to changing the culture of fear that they grew up with.

“It’s a bit intimidating to paint other artists. I had a great photo of them with a cool background, but when I was close to finishing, it didn’t feel quite urban enough,” she says. “The filmmaker Michael Marantz, whose company creates the short films on each Vital Voices honouree, sent me an image with the wall in it. Painting two people is always harder – I might nail one then struggle with the other.”

Sara Blakely (Gayle Kabaker)

Sara Blakely

In 2012, Forbes named Sara Blakely as the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world. Blakely, who used to sell fax machines door to door, is the founder and owner of Spanx, which sells undergarments, leggings and swimwear in 65 countries. Blakely, who says her deeper purpose is to empower women through entrepreneurship, education and the arts, is working with Vital Voices on a centre for women’s entrepreneurship. It is scheduled to open in 2021 just a few blocks from the White House.

“I knew Spanx, but I ​didn’t know much about Sara before starting to research her for this project. She is a blast to follow on Instagram, and she was super fun to paint,” the artist explains. “[I gave Sara] a bra outside her dress; I wanted to capture her goofy, playful side. I began my career as a fashion illustrator, so when I look at her painting, it feels like a fun fashion illustration.”

Manal al-Sharif (Gayle Kabaker)

Manal al-Sharif

In 2011, Manal al-Sharif was filmed while driving in Saudi Arabia, which, at the time, banned women from driving. The video went viral, and from there, al-Sharif started a campaign to help Saudi women learn to drive. She is a human rights activist for people in the Middle East and north Africa as well as an author and a computer scientist, and in 2012 she was honoured with the Global Trailblazer award at the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards.

“I was lucky to have an amazing photo of Manal by Aaron Kisner, a long-time creative collaborator with Vital Voices,” says Kabaker. “The colours, her look, the light – everything was already there. I just had to reinterpret it. I used the gorgeous blues of the photo to guide me for the blue. I remember how effortlessly it seemed to paint itself, and I was so happy with it when I was done.”

Diane von Furstenberg (Gayle Kabaker)

Diane von Furstenberg

New Yorker Diane von Furstenberg is a Belgian fashion designer best known for her wrap dresses. Von Furstenberg, who says she seeks to use her voice, brand and philanthropy to lift up and mentor women around the world, is the chair of Vital Voices’ Go Bold campaign. In 2010, she founded the DVF Awards with her husband, Barry Diller, to honour and provide resources to individuals who work on women’s causes, including Anita Hill and Jane Goodall. In 2019, she was awarded Vital Voices’ Global Trailblazer award.

Kabaker explains her “first idea for Diane was more a fashion portrait in a wrap dress”.

“It was Alyse’s idea to make her a superhero. I read Diane’s memoir and learned that nature was really important and inspiring to her, and that’s why I painted her in the woods. I love painting women as superheroes!”

Amanda Nguyen (All images Gayle Kabaker)

Amanda Nguyen

Amanda Nguyen, a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is an advocate for sexual assault victims. After an attack at 21, she discovered that Massachusetts state law allowed rape kits – used to preserve evidence after a sexual assault – to be destroyed after six months, even if the assailant had not been found. In 2014, Nguyen founded Rise, a nonprofit group that helped get the federal Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights signed into law.

“Amanda has been so successful getting laws passed for rape victims, and I wanted to show victorious women with her,” the artist explains. ”I wanted to paint her super strong and confident. Plus, she’s so gorgeous!”

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