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our months topic has me reflecting a lot and brings me back to a certain time from my past. when the topic of sexuality comes up in the theoretical realm, i reminisce to my women's studies courses in college. it was a great time for me to try to unravel a big ball of theory that i could somehow pull apart, dissect and then repackage to fit into who i was back then, and who i was becoming in regard to my power as a woman.
art has always been a focus for me, and having a feminist artist mother, it was in the stars for me to look further into the two worlds of women's studies & art. back then, trips to los angeles were a must to see exhibitions where women pushed the envelope & tackled feminism...the way they wanted to. two of my favorite museum exhibitions featured the works by cindy sherman & judy chicago. my world was so enriched by these women and i could not help but share it.
cindy sherman uses the powerful medium...photography. she tells a deep & evocative story in just one still image of the female & her stereotypes. sherman put a whole new spin on capturing a moment in time with regard to female roles & sexual politics...she uses herself as the subject who transforms the viewer. an incredible chameleon & master of disguise sherman sings a familiar song that we don't know all of the words to. she writes the lyrics and we are left with a an enriched understanding of the vast & deep roles that women take on (or have been placed upon women).
judy chicago, a feminist artist and known mainly for her work...the dinner party. the vast project is an 48 foot installation on a banquet table of vaginal forms honors historically important women with 39 place settings. when viewing the installation, i knew that i was witnessing one of the mammoth's of the feminist art movement. just the viewing alone was enough to embed a deep appreciation for the women that had gone before us that went jumping in with their hair on fire to pave a different way for women today. a motherload of moxie filled the room that day. i was forever changed.
to explore more...
http://www.cindysherman.com/biography.shtml
http://www.missomnimedia.com/2010/02/art-herstory-cindy-sherman/
http://www.throughtheflower.org/page.php?p=40&n=3
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/jchicago.html
What a great post, Melissa. As an art history major at a liberal, women's college, I learned a fair amount about Judy Chicago(also a friend of one of my professors). I cannot recall anything about Cindy Sherman, however, and just started browsing these links. I will delve into it more and really appreciate the introduction! xo
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