The Palmer Museum: Affirmative Action

Jerry Kearns

America, b. 1943

Affirmative Action, 1987

Acrylic on canvas




Artist Jerry Kearns’ canvas ‘Affirmative Action’ depicts an elegantly dressed woman drawn in black and white juxtaposed against a dense cityscape drawn in red and yellow. Her dress stops right above the knees, and on her feet are some business woman style of heels. This woman is working in what seems to be manure and her facial expression is that of a hard worker as she shovels. Her fixed posture suggests that she needs to hold her grounds to do her job effectively. This is definitely back breaking labor because her feet are positioned apart in order for her to perform these duties. She also uses both hands to firmly grip the shovel. The dense cityscape in the background is definitely not drawn to scale because in the foreground she is both taller and wider than each building. This canvas shouts nothing but “women in the work field”.




The image was drawn in 1987 although the theme which it relates to was one that aroused in the 1940s. Affirmative action voices underrepresented groups such as race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. All which are rights that have to be protected because one can be treated inequitably if not. Without a doubt, this piece speaks to that time period because discrimination has to be justified. One way or another, women have been underrepresented in the work field for quite some time. Therefore the political comment that this piece touches on is ‘equal opportunity’.


As an African American woman this piece touches me on an emotional level. I’ve always been categorized at the minority level and as a woman it goes even deeper. As a minority my group already holds fewer positions in social power compared to that of other groups. On the other hand, as a woman I’m less dominate than any man in the work force. Particularly this canvas of this woman says to me that I don’t have to be singled out. Women’s rights play a big part as well because women are sometimes equated with the minority. I always feel as though gender, race, ethnicity or anything of that sort should not determine your ability to prosper. Today discrimination still exists, but this canvas shows that these respective laws or rights still matter.


Jerry Kearns himself was not only an artist, but a professor of art at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. So not only does this piece of art created by him speak to the affirmative action movement but experience with art as a whole. He has other canvases placed in different museums across the US. A lot of his art work reflects racial equality, equal treatment and how it shows reverse discrimination. This piece in particular claims that women can get down and work hard and certainly that all women aren’t weak. Surely you don’t have to be a man to do typical labor. When you think of shoveling it’s very normal to think of it being a man’s job, but this painting explains differently. Women are strong and we aren’t only office material. We can work in different areas and we are able to perform tasks that men can perform. Nonetheless women are on the rise in this work industry.


The Palmer Museum (the place where this canvas was on exhibit) has a very beautiful atmosphere. The time I saw this canvas was certainly not my first visit. I’ve been there on numerous occasions and it’s interesting that every now and then the exhibits change. Whether it’s sketches, paintings or sculptures, everything is always eye catching. That is because there are display that are ancient but there are also modern displays. The variety is definitely there. But sometimes some things just stand out more than others. Affirmative action is what sat within and spoke to me.