The Intersection of Art and Social Change Assignment

In Weeks 3 and 4, we saw that creative woman were at the forefront of innovations and modernism creating works that not only reflected the dynamic culture but served as catalysts for more change. We learned that after the 1950s and the publication of Simone De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, art, and social movements began to intersect in a way that they had not previously done. Although Beauvoir herself claimed that her book was theoretical, feminist activists took up her ideas at the grassroots and began a movement. Art that highlighted women’s issues began to flourish along with the women’s liberation movement, and what is now termed the Feminist Art Movement was born.

One of the many influential artists of the Feminist Art Movement that emerged during the latter half of the 20th century was Judy Chicago whose work on gender issues continues today. For this week’s journal assignment, you will review resources on feminist art and Judy Chicago’s “The Dinner Party,” her controversial art installation from the 1970s. After you review these resources and explore “The Dinner Party,” identify and describe several elements in Chicago’s art that you interpret as calling for social change. In three to four pages, discuss some of the ways you see these elements as catalysts for social change, drawing strong connections between art and social change.

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The Intersection of Art and Social Change

The second wave of feminism is greatly attributed to the post-world war II era that proved transitory with the primary purpose of increasing equality and not merely enfranchisement. This phase began in the 1960s and lasted for approximately two decades; spreading across the western world, resulting in an alteration in women’s economic roles. In the 1940s, women were actively recruited into the workplace scene to take up the occupational positions left vacant by the men who enlisted to aid in supporting the war effort; the temporary solution to the shortage in the labor force. The majority of women utilized these opportunities to transcend from the traditional gender roles and become part of the national workforce. This unprecedented inclusion was especially viewed in the art scene via Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, which functioned as a symbolic representation of the history of women in western civilization (Marder, 1974). Moreover, there were other great artists who take a plunge into feminism and emerged with clairvoyant masterpieces that, unfortunately, received recognition after their demise.  Excellent examples include Louise Bourgeois and Eva Hesse whose works contained detailed imagery on the ideologies of domesticity, the female physical form, and exasperations.

It is also essential to comprehend the fact that a vast majority of galleries and museums were not as welcoming to the feminist-inspired artwork, and thus resulted in the numerous challenges and tussles experienced by these artists with certain masterpieces gaining acceptance years later after the passing of these individuals. However, in particular cities, New York, there was a well-established exhibition room system that displayed these pieces; hence bringing feminism into the limelight while portraying the daily challenges experienced by women. In addition to that, Judy Chicago and her colleague, a graphic designer, instituted a Studio Workshop and an associated two years program in 1973 to combat gender bias in the art scene. This establishment concentrated on the apprehension of the feminist phenomenon and a thorough examination of the global population through the lens of a woman in relation to descriptive art. In the 1980s and during the Reagan and Thatcher leadership timeframe, innumerable feminists laid more emphasis on the postmodern art conjecture and psychoanalysis. This, in turn, brought about the development of intellectual artistic production. The principal achievement of this era was the significance attached to the prospective capabilities of women rather than the perceived ideologies of their abilities in a restrictive environment.

In 1985, Guerilla Girls group/movement was formulated in New York by feminist activist artists, who would sport gorilla masks in public and utilize humor, facts, and atrocious visuals to reveal gender and ethnic bias; but especially fight sexism in the art community (Reckitt & Phelan, 2006). The members employed culture jamming in various forms such as public appearances and billboards, as a mechanism of exposing discrimination in the respective workspace. Masks were utilized in an attempt to conceal the identities of the various individuals who participated in the movement. The craft of Babara Kruger and Jenny Holzer complemented the works of the previous feminist artists and involved the use of agitprop style, black and white photography, complex visuals inscription, and narratives in regards to the feminine language. Moreover, they utilized typography and declarative sentence structures in portraying the female form that had long been described by male artists; and thus altering the narrative. This was in turn challenged in a spectacular manner by other amazing artists such as Judy Chicago, Cindy Sherman, etc by using lurid imagery similar to fairy tales depicting the female emotions and plight.

Joyce Wieland is a feminist visionary who conjoined nationalist propaganda and the females’ traditional domestic crafts to create compound pieces of artistic pieces. One fundamental artwork is the Woman and Fox, which portrays the plight of oppressed women who are perceived in a two-dimensional way; housekeepers and child bearers, and not viewed as complex human beings capable of possessing emotions, desires, and ambitions. Judy Chicago was also one of the primary pioneers of feminist art by laying more emphasis on women’s part in art history, the female perception of life, and hence changing the manner in which contemporary craft was received. Her principal works were The Dinner Party, Cock and Cunt Play, and Menstruation Bathroom that illustrates female sexuality via the spectrum of perception. She intricately described the female form and especially the genitals in such depth that the male artists had failed to capture.

 The Dinner Piece is an epic feminist artwork that was created from 1974 to 1979 and was viewed by an audience of 15 million individuals in six countries and three continents (Parker, 1992). It was a major collaboration between Judy and numerous other volunteers with the fundamental purpose of eliminating the ongoing cycle of the omission of women in the world’s historical records. The art piece consisted of a triangular table with 39 settings; each embroidered with female imagery in relation to her accomplishments. This piece also paid homage to the amazing women from all spheres of life in human history partaking in the glory of the feminine virtues and culture. In addition to that, there was a flower-like structure rising from the different plate settings representing the vulva; the reproductive ability of women to birth varying qualities. Moreover, it contained 999 historical and mythical women from varying eras; signifying the diverse cultural advancements that women have made.

In conclusion, the principal objective of Judy Chicago’s masterpiece is to introduce the vivacity of the female’s legacy into the male dominate society via a three-pronged perspective. The three approaches included books, art, and motion picture; the historic scale of achievements that were initially preserved for the male counterparts. This played a fundamental role in the liberation of women and continues to do so.

References

Reckitt, H., & Phelan, P. (2006). Art and feminism. London: Phaidon.

Marder, H. (1974). Feminism & art. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Parker, R. (1992). Framing feminism. London: Pandora Press.