Women’s History Month: Local business owners use art to empower and inspire

Little Rock, Arkansas – To raise awareness of the thousands of women in the state who own small businesses, local artists, entrepreneurs, and craftswomen are showcasing their creations during Women’s History Month.

Through their artistic endeavors, these women united to inspire others and disseminate a message of empowerment.

“Giving people their time to be like, ‘hey this is me and this is what I do.’ Giving them an extra little umph… An extra little sparkle like this is for you. You’re meant to be here. I want you here and let’s just show everybody what you’ve got,” East Village Art Market Event Curator Brittany Langston said.

This is the first-ever all-women’s display by women for everyone who supports women, held at the Rail Yard and East Village Art Market.

“You just coming and bringing yourself and bringing your friends just validates artists, it just cannot be replicated. It’s just showing up,” Langston said.

With more than 40 booths, it was their biggest vendor event to date. They did not put any restrictions on the women who wanted a chance to shine.

“I love women. I love supporting women. And I think women need the spotlight to just be loud and be proud and just put their stuff out there and put pink ballons everywhere. It’s like, let’s just get excited about each other. Let’s lift each other up,” Langston said.

According to Langston, the objective is to inspire others to pursue their passion projects in addition to advancing the status of women in enterprises that specialize in arts and crafts.

“If you see all these kids running around, I hope they see all these successful women and they’re like, ‘man I can do that. I can paint.’ or this little hobby…And even older people,” Langston said. “It’s really. It’s really humbling to see. And I think… If I was a little girl. The little girl in me I mean would be proud of who I am today. So I think that’s really cool,” Langston added.