Why it is important to share women's stories ...

With the recent shift in our country's leadership, the women's movement has become louder and more active, which is paramount as the present administration is NO friend of women! In fact the idea that our country elected a chauvinistic, misogynistic, racist, sexist, egomaniac as leader, should put all women on high alert. His campaign alone set Women's Rights back decades, but his election has made Women's Rights an endangered species. Now more than ever, women's accomplishments and milestones need to be taught, celebrated and highlighted. And women and girls need to be supported, defended and assisted in following their dreams and desires. This is why I am sharing women's stories here, on my blog, in honor of National Women History month (March). 

Indeed, I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems 
without signing them, was often a woman. 

Virginia Woolf

As happens with many of my projects, posting these mini biographical posts as a way to celebrate National Women's History month, happened organically. I hadn't planned it, but suddenly it felt paramount for me to share the histories, fates and accomplishments of women, some well known and some not-so well known. I feel that it is so important for the acts and deeds of women to be  remembered and honored. And even though in recent years, there is much more written and reported about women in history, there is so much more that needs to be shared.

created by Hannah Hill
@hanecote 

I have this deep desire to spread the knowledge of women in history because I believe in the strength of teaching through modeling, through example. There is immense power in being able to see yourself in the world, to see people who are like you, in race, in gender, doing the jobs, tasks and careers that you want to do.

I believe in the truth of the above quote by ever-sage Virginia Woolf, that women often had to hide their identity. At the time, women's work was not noteworthy.

Also, I was influenced by the writings of feminist, activist and artist, Judy Chicago, who wrote many books and articles. I was greatly effected by Chicago's views in
Through The Flower: My Struggle as A Woman Artist.

"I was inspired to write it (Through The Flower) by the writer and diarist, Anais Nin, who was a mentor to me in the early seventies. My hope was that it would aid young women artists in their development and that reading about my struggles might help them avoid some of the pitfalls that were so painful to me. I also hoped to spare them the anguish of "reinventing the wheel", which my studies in women's history had taught me was done again and again by women, specifically because we have not had access to our foremothers' experience and achievements-one consequence of the fact that we still learn both history and art history from a male-centered bias with insufficient inclusion of women's achievements. "

Judy Chicago 2005

This idea rang true for me,  that we, girls and women, did not and do not have the access and the knowledge of what women have done before us, what they had achieved and where they had failed.  When I thought back on all that I had learned in elementary school, high school and college, it was definitely male-centered biased; the men had the power, made the decisions, won the battles and the women supported them, the nameless women.

"As in many other microcosms, the role of women in the art world has always suffered from the male establishment protecting its territory. Change is so slow and incremental, but often follows other changes in society at large. We are now in a moment to revel in this conversation, which is never big enough, but also bigger than it was."

the above excerpt comes from a letter from the SOHO20  to the NY Times – in response to “Female Artists Are (Finally) Getting Their Turn” written by Hilarie M. Sheets published on March 29, 2016 (click here to letter entire letter)

And the history of women is rich and lush and multi-layered because women are multi-layered, women not only bring to the table brains, ideas, strength, fearlessness and most all of the qualities that men can bring, but women also have the capability to bring life to the table, they can 'procreate'. And women should always have and should remain to have the right for each of them to personally decide if they wish to procreate or not to procreate!! 

This month I discovered this 'rad' book about women and I highly recommend it. Each woman's story is told in a page or so, piquing the reader's curiosity so that they could go and learn more about each subject.   

But for now, I am sharing these snapshots of women who are doing and have done things, interesting things, important things, quiet things, poetic things, creative things, radical things, brave things, and so many other 'things'.
I share them so that women and girls, and especially my girls, know that they can do ANYTHING that they want to do in life.

It is important that women and girls know
NOT to allow ANYONE to tell them that they can NOT do some 'thing' because they are a woman!

I believe that gender or race should not be the reason that anyone is unable to pursue a career, a dream or a life style. 

And I will end with this quote from the author of Rad Women Worldwide, Kate Schatz:

"That risk of erasure or omission was a catalyst for the book. “The field for the women we’ve heard of gets narrower and narrower the farther we go back,” Schatz says. “People can name 10 famous women from the 19th century, maybe four from previous century, and it’s even more limited in medieval times.” The book intervenes, coupling short biographies with bold paper-cut illustrations by Miriam Klein Stahl"

some of the women's who stories I have shared this month.

March is National Women's History Month ...

... so I am going to take this month to highlight some famous women that you may not know much about, and I am starting with Judy Chicago, artist, author, feminist, educator, and intellectual whose career now spans five decades. 

I chose Judy Chicago to be my first feature because she was a pioneer of Feminist art in the early 70's and has done extensive writing about women and feminism.  

She notes how that throughout history women have been doing amazing acts of science, arts, politics,... however there is no mention of these accomplishments because those who were writing the history books (men) felt that women's contributions were not important enough mention. 

 To give you proof of this, the text book for my college course of the Survey of Art History did NOT feature a woman artist?!?!? and I took this class int he 80's?!?!? No Georgia O'Keeffe, no Frida Kahlo, even no Mary Cassatt?!?!? This was disconcerting for a female college student that was planning to get her degree in the Arts!! 

It is this omission of women's achievements in record books, history books and in general is why having National Women's History month is SO important.  And with the current events happening in our government and in our society, celebrating the works and accomplishments of women could not be more necessary. 

So, on this blog for the month of March, I am going to share some amazing women with you, most of them artists, some very famous, some less known. I plan to post some pictures of their works and then links to sites where you can find more information about them, otherwise I would spend the entire month writing about each woman. 

but for now ... a bit about 

Judy Chicago.

Judy Chicago is the brains, the energy, the talent and the women behind the amazing 'Dinner Party', an installation celebrating the history of women. Fortunately it has found a permanent home at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum of Art  where I was able to experience and absorb all the richness that this piece has to offer.

The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago is an icon of feminist art, which represents 1,038 women in history—39 women are represented by place settings and another 999 names are inscribed in the Heritage Floor on which the table rests. This monumental work of art is comprised of a triangular table divided by three wings, each 48 feet long.

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/home/  

Besides the awesomeness of Chicago's installation, I was also moved by all the research and factual information that Chicago presented along side her 'Dinner Party'.  One of those components was the Heritage Panels.  These panels presented so many accomplished and successful women, many that i had not known of before.  

The seven Heritage Panels are large-scale hand-colored photo-and-text collages (ranging in size from 57 1/2 x 70 3/4 to 57 1/2 x 107") that portray the lives of the mythical and historical women whose names are inscribed in the Heritage Floor of The Dinner Party. Judy Chicago, with the help of a team of researchers, selected 999 women from prehistory to the 20th century, whose example impacted women's history and the improvement of women's conditions. Hand-written on porcelain tiles, these names make up the physical and symbolic foundation for The Dinner Party.

I encourage you to read more about Judy Chicago and 'The Dinner Party' because both have SO much to teach us and show us about the amazing accomplishments of the many talented, brilliant, strong, determined, political, funny, wise and nasty women that have come before us.

peace

Who does she think she is??

Saturday I watched the documentary “Who does she think she is ” directed by Pamela Tanner Boll ~ a movie that explores the relationship of mothering and women artists. I believe I went to this movie looking for some answers to how to balance this mothering/artist act. As I watched I was riveted to my seat. But when the movie ended and I started to digest it I started getting agitated. I realized that it had feed some of my critics. As time has past I have wondered if instead of being an empowering movie it is a cautionary tale.

I knew a lot of the background of women artists and their plight. I have studied many women artists ~ their letters, diaries and works. I have seen Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party (awesome), studied the supporting material and read many of her writings as well as working through her autobiographies. I am know the Guerilla Girls’ work and the different Women’s Artists’ movement. So I knew the back-story (although I did learn that the version of my art history text, History of Art by H.W.Janson, didn’t have any women artists represented in its hundreds of examples of art. I knew there had not been a lot but I just assumed that either Mary Cassatt or Georgia O’Keefe had made the cut.)

The stories of the featured women artists I found interesting as I find the stories of any creative person. But I was hoping to find the key to how to be the artist I need and want to be and be a mom and wife too. Ok I went hoping for the Holy Grail, but I came out with stories of talented women who followed their passion, have kids but many didn’t have their spouse. And the artist, Janis Mars Wunderlich who did have 5 kids, a successful art career and was still married just feed my critic, making wonder what I doing wrong – she has FIVE kids!!! Well insecurity is something I am working on. But watching the movie I so connected to these women and they reinforced one of my fears – can one follow one’s passion can keep the family/ kids and husband? I guess I am looking for the movie “She can have it all”!!

Would I recommend this movie?? Yes – anything that makes me think and push myself creatively I am all for. In fact looking at Wunderlich’s work made me realize that I do NOT put my true feeling out in my work ~ I am too afraid of hurting people’s feelings. So this movie had made me aware of how I am still influenced by more fear than I had realized ~ more personal work to do!!! It was also exciting to be in an auditorium full of mostly women – many knitting – and being part of a communal experience and struggle. I also realized that I am not going to get an answer to my struggle from anyone or anything – each of us are traveling on our own path, my life is not going to be like anyone else’s. Funny how obvious this thought is but it is a lesson that I need to keep learning over and over again.

Peace