Beyond the Velvet Ropes - Looking Past the Celebration of IWD

It’s 8th March. Usually, today is filled with “Happy IWD!” graphics, pink branding, and a lot of well‑meaning posts. And while support is lovely, at Seventh Circle it can feel a bit… lacking. IWD shouldn’t just be a celebration; it should be a reminder of the systemic gaps a single day of recognition won’t fix, but sustained work will. You know us by now: we don’t do surface‑level posts. We’re here for the real talk.

In 2026, those “velvet ropes” haven’t disappeared; they’ve just changed shape. Speaking from the art world, my lived experience, the industry still loves to gatekeep. One recent conversation I had was how certain mediums like embroidery and textiles are still dismissed, which is insane and hypocritical and how “Fine Art” is often defined by a very small, very specific group of people. If your version of art history doesn’t include the voices historically barred from the academies, then your version is factually incomplete. These exclusions aren’t accidents; they’re the result of who has historically been allowed into spaces by those who held the power to decide what counts as “important” art and who could create it.

As a female Gallery Director, I see these ropes every day. I still get asked, “Can I speak to the person in charge? Is he available?” I receive more unsolicited business advice than my partner and Co‑Director. I’ve even been asked what it’s like to have my partner as “my boss,” in my own gallery I helped build, as if my role must be the supportive sidekick rather than the equal. Chez and I are very much a team, we support each other and these clumsy sexist comments, whilst not always ill meaning are part of a systemic problem. Still. In 2026. It’s the cultural default that assumes authority and competence looks like a certain kind of person, a man. It’s the quiet, everyday tax women and marginalised creators pay just to stand in their own space.

Let’s talk about representation, shall we? Last year I wrote about the 2025 stats: women and those who identify as women make up nearly two‑thirds of UK art graduates, yet only around 35% of artists represented by galleries. And we have to be honest: representation isn’t a job well done if it only includes one type of woman. Intersectionality isn’t a buzzword; it’s the only way the maths adds up.

Despite all the noise around diversity, the statistics for marginalised and women of colour in UK national collections are an embarrassment, some figures sit as low as 0.5%. These numbers don’t exist by accident; they reflect who has historically controlled acquisitions, narratives, and canon‑building. If our feminism doesn’t confront the fact that the barriers are ten times higher at the intersections of race, class, and identity, then it’s just PR.

This year, as a gallery owner, I wanted to delve into who is actually supporting the local, grassroots art scene. Women are the economic engine of the independent art world. Data shows that in the primary market, where artworks are sold for the first time, women are outspending men. They’re the ones walking into galleries like ours, visiting art fairs, and buying directly from artists. Women aren’t driving the primary market simply because they have financial autonomy, they’re driving it because they buy differently. They buy boldly, emotionally, and independently. They support emerging talent, they trust their own taste, and they’re not waiting for the Old Guard to tell them what matters.

At Seventh Circle, we don’t work with our incredible group of women creators to tick a box once a year. We work with them because their work is vital, wonderful, and world‑class. We’ve just finished hanging a powerhouse display entirely by women artists. Our current solo exhibition is also by a woman. Not because it’s March but because the work is exceptional. We are driven to keep striving for inclusivity.

Change is what happens when you build the world you want to see. It doesn’t happen on a grid; it happens with your feet and your financial autonomy, whoever you are. Buy work from women and those who identify as such. Support the people the institutions are ignoring and historically left out of the canon. Support their businesses. Champion their work. Shout about them every single day, not just today.

Let’s be real, the narrative hasn’t changed enough yet. So we’re going to keep being loud until it does. Fancy joining us??

You can discover all the wonderful women artists we work with here – click here.