In summary, this 2025 we accomplished a lot while building into our first true “home” for our art activism movement to centralize around. As we look to 2026, join us as we put our reproductive and civil rights first as activists in our towns, in our state, and as people who want to live with dignity in this United States.
Let’s get into it a little more:
This 2025 was a year that felt several years long, right? Despite the nightmarish backdrop of national politics and social upheaval, The Womxn Project & TWP Education Fund– together with you and our volunteers – created powerful art and made real change in Rhode Island that is grounded and being recognized more than ever.
On the policy side of things, together we helped secure the right to read by fighting back against book bans, got resolutions introduced and supported for the LGBTQ+ Community, worked within coalitions protecting healthcare and taxing the highest among us, and we organized around the Senate President shift in power that now will have large implications on votes for years to come.
In communities across Rhode Island, TWP helped organize residents to stand up for reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights in meetings where state and district judges are selected, at school committee sessions where rights are threatened, and before the body that oversees interscholastic athletics.
Then, humbly on behalf of all of us, I was recognized for this work with both an Honorary Doctorate from Rhode Island College and a Bannister Award for advancing equity and promoting diversity in our state. Thank you to those who nominated or suggested me and the whole TWP community as it brings a different attention to our work.
Our organization also moved into our first real office space called A|R|T Lab and launched a series of artivism trainings and other opportunities for people to get involved: in 4 months, 9 allied organizations have used it, over 175 people have come to take classes or come to hear speakers.. it’s awesome! We plan to keep expanding that support.
And then there is the art activism itself.From the giant cardboard “Bodily Freedom” letters we carried to the State House last January – now proudly displayed in our office – to the numerous rallies we co‑sponsored— artivist-a-fied (ya, I made that word up) or supported — our community of creative volunteers showed their spirit and deep commitment to bodily freedom in our little state. We have our eyes on growing that number and finding ways to support more artivism in New England!
We also held a hugely successful second “Advocacy is Love” gala (mark your calendars for March 20 for #3 – details on our website) and secured our first multi‑year grant from the Rhode Island Foundation as part of a collaborative working with girls and gender‑fluid community members to see themselves using art activism to work towards a true democracy with safety.
Our role is to help people use artivism to make their voices heard, and we look forward to seeing many of you at events that help build that strength and confidence, safely.
We also pause to honor the passing of one of the great lights of the Rhode Island women’s movement, our board member and dear friend, Barbara Colt. She was a mentor and a force for justice for over 45 years in Rhode Island. Things are better today because of her, and they will be better tomorrow because of all of you. Join us at her honoring on the first day of session, January 6th, in the Rhode Island State House Library at 2:45pm as we lift up others who carry on her torch.
Eyes on Progress in 2026: We look forward to working with you to protect all our right to vote in Rhode Island so we can continue bringing leaders into our government that represent the most important issues for each of us. The A|R|T Lab will be hosting a year long program of exhibition programming with art activists showing and teaching their styles and TWP Education Fund will be publishing their ‘I am an Art Activist’ Kits that bond action and civics education for all ages to see themselves able to engage in their government with creatives styles.
Additionally in coalition we will be working on:
• updates to language of protected classes insurance companies can not isolate
• attention on fake family clinics in Providence
• protections to Medicaid, which includes abortion
This is a lot, but we have a new board members and small staff to bring the level of action to a higher tick. Please support our work so we can make more inroads creatively and in traditional lobbying ways- because after 8 years we have the chops. We are seeing signs of this state following the trends of the country that is working to erase or exclude women, LGBTQ+ people, black and brown communities, and disabled folks. We are here to say, not on our watch.
Thank you for your support, your fire, and your love.
We feel it, and we appreciate it every day.
