ND Law's Arienne Calingo Presents Debut Art Exhibit “Phenomenal Women” at Harvard's Alumni of Color Conference

Last month, ND Law Marketing Communications Specialist Arienne Calingo debuted her first art exhibit, “Phenomenal Women,” at Harvard University’s Alumni of Color Conference (AOCC). This year, the conference’s theme centered around “Embracing Resistance, Solidarity, and Joy.”

Calingo’s exhibit included three line art portraits depicting three women of color from Notre Dame Law School: third-year J.D. students Batul Ather and Sarah Jeong, and J.S.D. candidate Perla Khattar.

“I conceptualized the idea after some deep and insightful conversations I had with someone who has a mutual passion for social justice issues,” shared Calingo. “These conversations allowed me to see that there is still much for me to learn in order to build understanding and solidarity through difference. ‘Phenomenal Women’ is built on these essential values.”

Each of the three pieces was also inspired by Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman,” a poem that projects women’s empowerment and rejects narrow societal expectations of women, instead portraying them as confident and comfortable in their own skin. “Just as Angelou’s poem celebrates the pride in being a woman, my artworks celebrate three women and the inner strength, dignity, intelligence, and humility that I personally know each of them hold and cultivate; these are true markers of their unique beauty,” said Calingo.

“Phenomenal Women” draws awareness to the underrepresentation of women of color in the legal profession. The National Association for Law Placement reports that Black women make up 3.17 percent of lawyers in the U.S., and a mere 2 percent are Latina. Collectively, women of color represent less than 10 percent of all practicing lawyers and only 4 percent of law firm leaders.

Calingo notes that these discrepancies are disadvantageous to both women of color and the progression and productivity of the legal field. Along with bringing attention to the importance of representation, her art highlights the merits, perspectives, and experiences of women of color.

“Women are individuals with ambitions, values, and passions, as well as people with compelling stories, and intellectual and creative capacities that deserve to be seen, recognized, and heard. Unfortunately, I have seen firsthand the silencing of women’s voices — especially women of color. Increasing visibility for women of color is crucial, and that is what I aim to achieve through ‘Phenomenal Women’,” she said.

The exhibit was also inspired by Calingo’s personal experiences as a woman of color in higher education. While a student at Harvard, Calingo observed a lack of opportunities across all Harvard schools to learn about Filipino and larger Southeast Asian communities. As the only Filipino student in her cohort, she made it her goal to provide a voice for the Filipino community in academic discourse. Reflecting on her experiences, she said, “I’ve been bullied for being brown — whether it was in high school, where I was 1 of 3 Asian students, or in the Philippines, where I’ve experienced colorism. Art has always served as an avenue for me to creatively transform my obstacles into opportunities for growth, exploration, and healing.”

Her art also supports and affirms the value of representation and DEI. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are very important to me,” Calingo explained. “I believe that it is crucial to encourage and amplify the voices of underrepresented groups who have historically been left out of conversations.”

This was her third time presenting at the conference. In 2018, Calingo’s mixed media collage, “Droga at Dugo (Drugs and Blood)” was featured at the conference and called attention to the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines’ war on drugs. In 2023, she delivered a presentation, titled, “Building Bayanihan: Dismantling Anti-Black Consciousness in the Philippines,” speaking on the complex relationship between Filipinos and Black Americans, and the need to build solidarity between the two communities.

Arienne’s creative works in mixed media, photography, and poetry have been featured in exhibitions at Harvard University, the St. Joe County Public Library, and the University of Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns. Her mixed media collage “Rise” was recently selected to be included in the “Around the Bend” exhibition at the South Bend Museum of Art during the summer of 2024. “Rise” calls attention to the continued suppression, subordination, and silencing of women in Iran and, specifically, was inspired by Iranian women protesting against the compulsory hijab.

Calingo aims to carry out projects that advance higher education, youth development, women empowerment, the arts, and sports in the Filipino and Filipino American communities.