South Asian Women's Creative Collective

The South Asian Women’s Creative Collective (SAWCC) is a non-profit arts organization based in New York City. It supports emerging and established South Asian female artists and creative professionals by providing both physical and virtual spaces to showcase their works.

SAWCC was founded in 1997 in New York City by American artist Jaishri Abichandani.^[1] The first meeting was held in March at the Sister Fund offices in Manhattan, attended by fourteen South Asian women of various ages and sexual orientations, including members of Sakhi for South Asian Women and the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association. The group began meeting monthly at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop to showcase their work. SAWCC’s first public event was a festival for women of color at the Audre Lorde Project in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, followed by its first annual visual art and performance festival, Karmakollage, held at the Gallery at 678, which attracted over 400 attendees.^[2]

Within a year and a half, a volunteer board was established, and SAWCC applied for non-profit status, becoming incorporated. In February 2000, an online list for South Asian women artists and creative professionals was created, which grew to include over 500 members. SAWCC’s main writing workshop, Brown Eyed Girls, was initiated in 2002, and a studio circle for visual artists began in 2006. By 2012, SAWCC’s events were reaching an annual audience of over 5,000,^[2] and their Facebook group had over 6,000 members.^[3]

SAWCC hosts monthly events showcasing the work of South Asian women artists. These events include the Brown Eyed Girls writing workshop, a studio circle for visual artists, monthly panel discussions, and annual exhibitions and festivals open to the public. The annual visual arts exhibition has featured artists such as Chitra Ganesh, Swati Khurana, and Sa’dia Rehman, while the annual literary festival has included writers like Minal Hajratwala, V.V. Ganeshananthan, and Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Jhumpa Lahiri. SAWCC serves as a platform for South Asian women artists to present their works, identify resources, and seek support, with a focus on themes of gender and cultural representation. The collective has collaborated with other arts organizations, including 3rd I South Asian Independent Film, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, and the Pratt Institute.^[4]

In 2007, SAWCC presented an art exhibition in New York titled (un) Suitable Girls, which celebrated young women who rejected traditional expectations such as arranged marriages and dowries. The exhibition highlighted the experiences of “messy, outspoken girls who might horrify prospective in-laws” with their Western ways, addressing themes of anger, angst, and societal norms.^[3]

In 2012, SAWCC’s 15th-year retrospective visual arts show received critical claims, including coverage in The New York Times.^[1]

SAWCC’s writing workshop, Brown Eyed Girls, convened regularly from 2002 to 2006. This workshop was established to address the needs of the literary members for a structured environment where they could workshop their pieces and receive critical feedback.

The Studio Circle for practicing visual artists was initiated by SAWCC in 2006. It comprises women of South Asian and Iranian heritage. This group met regularly from 2006 to 2013 at various artists’ studios to critique each other’s work and provide a space for collaboration and networking.^{[citation needed]}

While SAWCC is primarily based in New York City, it also has a sister chapter in London. SAWCC London offers free women-only “monthlies” as well as public events. These monthlies provide a platform for women artists of South Asian descent to network, share, discuss, and develop creative ideas and works.^[5]

Sources^[6][7]

• Jaishri Abichandani
• Monica Jahan Bose
• DJ Rekha
• Yashica Dutt
• Chitra Ganesh
• V.V. Ganeshananthan
• Senain Khesghi
• Sarita Khurana
• Swati Khurana
• Yamini Nayar
• Prerana Reddy
• Shahzia Sikander
• Jasmine Wahi