One way MRG Foundation furthers social justice movements is by supporting activist women artists. The Lilla Jewel Artist Tour is a 3-city tour that will feature the film Sista in the Brotherhood by MRG’s 2016 Lilla Jewel Award winner Dawn Jones Redstone. At each stop, Eugene, Portland, and Bend, we will host a screening of the film and panel discussion featuring filmmakers Dawn Jones Redstone, and Dr. Roberta Hunt, as well as local leaders exploring the struggles and triumphs of tradeswomen of color and issues of economic and racial justice. Join us for a night of conversation, community and connections.
Tickets are available online or at the door.
Sista in the Brotherhood and Dawn Jones Redstone
Dawn Jones Redstone is an award winning filmmaker, teacher, writer, journey-level carpenter, and gay Latina. Her rich understanding of the intersectionality of these experiences and identities has allowed her to step into her role as a social justice leader and to explore her voice while sharing the voices of others.
She is committed to telling the stories of women and people of color; “I came to realize the urgency around telling stories of people that look like me, stories I wasn’t actually seeing on the big screen. I am interested in lifting the voices least heard.” The film Sista in the Brotherhood shares the story of a black, woman apprentice carpenter who faces harassment and judgment on a worksite. The story was inspired by the doctoral thesis of Dr. Roberta Hunte. Dawn Jones Redstone directed, co-wrote, and co-executive produced the film.
Lilla Jewel Award
The Lilla Jewel Fund for Women Artists is an endowed fund named in honor of a radical suffragist, artist, and mother. Through it, MRG Foundation elevates the work of all women artists in Oregon who advance a social change message through their work, with a particular emphasis on women of color and queer women. The award provides a cash stipend and the opportunity to share their work here at Justice within Reach. Each year a committee of volunteers, activists, and artists identifies an art form and selects one or more Lilla Jewel Awardees working in that area.
