HOW THE GUERRILLA GIRLS HOLD THE ART WORLD ACCOUNTABLE

She's My Muse | Jaime Meier

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The first time I saw artwork by the Guerrilla Girls in person was during the exhibition "The Incomplete History of Protest" at the Whitney Museum, which displayed the group's criticism of said museum for its sexist and racist collection. It was impressive to see that the impact of the group was so large that it not only pushed for the institution to change, but the institution displayed the works to publicly hold itself accountable and acknowledge its shortcomings. One of the most interesting things about the Guerrilla Girls is that, in addition to their impactful art, they are able to organize group action through anonymity and intersectionality. 

"History of Wealth and Power" by the Guerrilla Girls | Source

The Guerrilla Girls are known for their posters that call attention to gendered and racial inequality within art institutions, with their most famous poster comparing the amount of female artists and amount of naked women on display at the Met. Natalie Sherman's article gives a great overview of the group's history, beginning in 1985 and continuing to the present. A consistently relevant 35-year career is no easy feat within the art world and I believe this success is due to the 55 members that have joined the group over the decades. Some members stay for weeks while others stay for years, with the fluctuating membership allowing for new talent and ideas to keep the group relevant. A major part of their appeal to so many members is their dedication to intersectionality.

"Traditional Values and Quality Return to the Whitey Museum" by the Guerrilla Girls | Source

While the title "Guerrilla Girls" instantly associates them with women, the heart of their organization is feminism, which transcends gender. One of my favourite things about the group is that they do not homogenize by only looking at gender, they also consider racial implications that impact artists of colour. Their earliest works, such as "Traditional Values and Quality Return to the Whitey Museum," important demonstrate the distinction between gender and race. Most recently, they created a video in response to the ongoing police brutality in the United States. 

"NYC Recount" by the Guerrilla Girls | Source

Every few years the Guerrilla Girls update their posters to analyze how and if things have changed within the institutions they have critiqued. The continued accountability and calls to action are crucial for continued and sustained change. The updates often reveal minor improvement and quickly remind the institution that a one time or slight improvement will not be accepted in the place of sincere change. I believe the Guerrilla Girls are creating an art world that will allow for more people to enjoy art institutions because they will actively see themselves reflected and be more likely to engage. 

RECLAIMING THE MYTH: PERSEPHONE

Throwback Thursday | Emma Puddicombe

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Sorry kids, storytime is over. In this episode of ‘Throwback Thursday,” I want us to turn on our brains and consider this the varying interpretation of myths. To illustrate my point, I'll use the myth of Persephone. Consider this: 

Persephone was not kidnapped by Hades and forced into becoming queen of the Underworld. 

It's time to throw it back to ancient Greek storytime and discuss how this old myth is due for an update and is being reinterpreted in digital spaces such as Tumblr.

Poster of Hades and Persephone (Source)

WHAT IS A WRITING PROMPT
A brief passage of text that provides a potential topic idea or starting point for an original form of writing. It can be turned into multiple different stories, depending on the writer.

WHAT IS A RASHOMON-STYLE STORY
When the same event is recounted by several characters, and the stories differ completely. Each version is specific to the individual’s perspective.

Consider this: A young girl is on a mission to save her homeland and family. She begins her mission in secret by running away into the night. She is accompanied by a lovable and sarcastic sidekick. She sings a song about not living up to the expectations of being the “perfect daughter”. She tries to do what is expected of her, but her true desires always pull her back, causing strain and disappointment from her parents. Her family includes her cooky grandmother, her loving mother and her father, a prideful man who believes his choices will keep his family safe.

Am I talking about the 1998 Disney movie Mulan or the 2016 Disney movie Moana?

  Image of Mulan (Source)                                           Image of Moana (Source)

SO WHAT
When emotion, opinion, adjectives, and adverbs are added into a bare-bones sequence of events (or a prompt), the resulting stories can be altered by whoever is telling it to become whatever they want it to be (Rashomon-styled).

When there are multiple different versions of a story, it can be difficult to discern what actually happened. Think about a courtroom where multiple different versions of the same story are told. Efforts must be made to discern what actually happened. The listener must look past emotion and opinion and look only at the 100% facts of what actually happened.

APPLYING THIS TO PERSEPHONE
In the well-known version of the myth, Persephone is hidden away in the countryside by her mother, Demeter, to protect her from the gods and humans who wished to take her maidenhood. Years later, Persephone is kidnapped by Hades and brought to the Underworld. Upon discovering her daughter is missing, Demeter searches the globe for Persephone until the god Helios finally tells her what happened. Demeter then goes to Zeus and begs him to bring her daughter back. Unfortunately, Hades tricks Persephone into eating pomegranate seeds, which means she must remain in the Underworld forever. A deal is then made, stating that Persephone must stay in the Underworld for 6 months of each year, and may return to her mother for the other six months.

While this myth is well known, it also holds many inconsistencies in its retelling. Did Hades trick Persephone into eating the pomegranate seeds or did she unknowingly choose to eat them? Did Hades come up with the deal or was the titan Rhea sent by Zeus to broker the deal? Were they pomegranate seeds or grape seeds? The myth can change depending on who is telling the story.

The main consistency is Persephone's portrayal as a powerless victim to Hades. However, when considering writing prompts and Rashomon-style stories, this portrayal becomes questionable. Since myths were oral traditions, they were constantly subject to change and the true first version is not 100% known. We can only go off what was written by ancient writers (Traditionally all men, a gender that throughout time has portrayed women as weaker individuals with little choice or opinion, who need to be saved).

To determine what actually happened to Persephone, let’s take a look at the 100% factual-to-the-point-where-they-cannot-be-argued-against sequence of events:

Image courtesy of Emma Puddicombe

Now imagine giving this as a prompt to a creative writing class full of individuals who have never heard any version of this myth. What types of stories do you think would be written?

Moreover, consider how similar the myth of Persephone is to that of the 2010 Disney film Tangled. Both stories follow a daughter who is hidden away by her mother to "protect" her, she is brought to a new world by a boy who appears to have taken her away from her home and ends with an action that changes their life forever (eating pomegranate seeds vs. getting a haircut). Given these similarities, it's possible that Persephone was actually more like the independent-minded Rapunzel.

       Image of Rapunzel from Tangled (Source)            Portrait of Persephone by Elisa Tulli (Source)      

I understand why the kidnapping version of the myth is so well known. It showcases the perspective of Greek women at a time when fathers held control of who and when their daughters would marry. The trauma and suffering experienced by Demeter and Persephone are meant to represent the experiences of the mothers and daughters during this period in time. The story fits the needs of society during this time.

In the 21st century, however, a time when women in many parts of the world have more control over their lives, this myth’s intention is no longer applicable. I move that Persephone be recognized as a woman who had the ability to choose what she wanted and had control over what happened to her. Additionally, if you search “Persephone” on social media platforms (i.e. Tumblr) you will see that this is how she is continuously viewed by women today.

Tumblr post by Susiephone (Source)

Emotion, opinion, adjectives, and adverbs are powerful tools that can change a story drastically. The next time you hear a story, don’t be afraid to take a critical look at what you are hearing. A story that suits one era’s society, might need a new perspective today. People are encouraged to take what they need from the stories they hear, so remember to determine the facts of what happened first, then consider what a story can mean to you.

MANSPLAINING THE MUSEUM

She's My Muse | Joanna Wreakes

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Hey Musings, Joanna here! I’m so honoured to be taking over the She’s My Muse column from my colleague Samantha - if you haven’t had a chance to check out what she wrote over the summer I would highly recommend it. I found so much inspiration in her articles, especially 30 Female Artists to Feature in Your Future Museums, where Samantha discusses so many talented women from all around the world!

The author during Nuit Blanche. Photo courtesy of Cher-Ann Chai

I’ll also admit, I was a bit apprehensive taking on such an important column - there are big shoes to fill and I found myself wondering what exactly I would write about. The idea for this article stemmed from a personal experience I had recently and after talking with my friends and colleagues realized it wasn’t so rare.

Have you ever been to Nuit Blanche Toronto? The all-night art festival happens annually here in Toronto with amazing installations across the city. This year I was lucky enough to check out the sites on Sterling Road and near Fort York with a good pal. It was an inspiring evening full of intriguing installations, fellow art lovers, and sardined streetcars in the middle of the night.

The scene of the crime, so to speak, was a work by local artist Shay Salehi. Standing Still (Walking Composition) invited viewers to contemplate what it means to “make progress” or “move forward”.

Standing Still, 2018 from shay salehi (source.)

Upon entering the room to view the work, it was quite crowded. Rather than follow the crowd of people I moved in the opposite direction towards a part of the room where there was space to stand and observe. When I did this, an older man I had never seen before took it upon himself to try and explain that I was going the “wrong way” and if I followed them I would be walking in the same direction of the character depicted in the work. I was taken aback at why this person thought it necessary to explain this to me - my first major incident of mansplaining in the art and museum world.

Mansplaining is a combination of the words “man” and “explain” and the phenomenon is by no means exclusive to the museum world. Women and nonbinary folks have shared their experiences with the term across professional disciplines. This BBC article does a really succinct job of summing mansplaining and includes this handy chart:

Mansplaining explained. Source.

I brought this experience up with friends and colleagues in the Museum Studies, and found that many of them had similar stories, both as museum visitors and professionals. One colleague, a collections assistant in a sports institution, talks about how people doubt her knowledge purely based on her gender.

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A post shared by The Wing (@the.wing) on Oct 11, 2019 at 6:01am PDT

Have any readers had a similar experience? Or realized you were an inadvertent mansplainer? What do you think we can do to combat the issue of mansplaining in the museum (and beyond)?

“THIS IS NOT JUST A GRAB-BAG CANDY GAME”: WHY MUSEUMS SHOULD LOOK TO DIY

She’s My Muse | Kathleen Lew

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As my time at UofT is coming to an end, it has become increasingly important for me to look to my peers for insight and support in the process of shaping my practice as a museum professional and feminist. After covering Atleigh Homma’s If I’ve Been Enveloped in Tenderness (Curated by MMSt candidate Kesang Nanglu), I felt inspired to find other cool projects women in MMSt are accomplishing and discuss their take on intersectional feminism in the arts & culture sector.

My last post was a conversation with Margin of Eras Gallery, which highlighted the importance of DIY spaces in Toronto to support marginalized artists. DIY projects are community-driven platforms that support underrepresented groups through artistic appreciation and experimentation. Lately I’ve been exploring how DIY spaces can foster intersectional feminist communities. I’ve also wondered how DIY projects can contribute to a museum practice.

It became clear that Melina Mehr (MMSt candidate, web developer, writer, and zine-maker) was the person to speak to. Melina founded invisibilities a series of self-published zines that seek to make visible narratives that have been omitted or erased, and act as a platform for marginalized groups to expand their creative networks. After being involved in small DIY communities for nearly ten years, Melina sought to fill a gap of diversity and intersectionality she found in Toronto zines.

invisibilities issue No. 1. Photo courtesy of Melina Mehr.

Read our conversation below:*

Why do you think DIY culture in the arts is important?

In a lot of ways, it seems like one of the few genuine outlets left to share work. You’re not relying on other people’s money, and therefore don’t need to satisfy the particular preferences, requirements, or politics of the organizations or people who are paying you. It’s entirely up to the artist to create whatever they want without barriers or filters.

How do DIY projects complement and/or challenge your more traditional museum practice/studies?

DIY projects provide the space for experimentation and are anti-capitalist in nature and practice. It challenges traditional museum structures in that they don’t require donor funding, which in turn affects the work created, as mentioned above. It complements museum practice in that DIY projects allow for community building, conversation, and network growth in a similar way to an institution’s educational and public programming. Curators and interpretive planners also have the ability to be radical in their work by rejecting the colonial frameworks that museums did and still do function within.

Both issues No. 1 and 2 of invisibilities directly call for writing and visualizations from womxn, why was this an important distinction for you?

The distinction to only include work from womxn for Issue No. 1 was important because it related to the medical field, which has a history of violently under-representing, misrepresenting, and generally misguiding womxn — particularly womxn of colour. Womxn’s experiences of navigating healthcare and dealing with doctors is vastly different than the experiences of men, so I wanted to highlight that. Issue No. 2 relates more to creating a space for histories and narratives which have often been unacknowledged or unrecorded. I have never described invisibilities zine as a project explicitly for womxn by womxn, but rather as an attempt to uncover certain narratives, which so far, have been by womxn. That doesn’t mean I won’t open up submission to all genders in the future. But I do like the idea of someone picking up the zine and perhaps not even initially clicking in to the fact that all the content has been created by womxn. Where it becomes so natural that it doesn’t need to be stated.

“’What does she do all day?’ Reflections on isolation and the cycle of healing incurable illness” by Amanda Lovell (invisibilities issue No.1). Photo courtesy of Melina Mehr.

How does your gender inform your creative practice (in museums, with invisibilities)?

Being a woman does not necessarily inform my practice as much as being a woman of colour does. The intersections between race, gender, and class are deeply rooted and not often recognized in much of the contemporary political discourse. In all the work I do, both professionally and personally, I try to put inclusivity and access at the forefront. I often refer back to this quote by Toni Morrison, who said, “When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.”

Has a community formed around invisibilities? What does that look like?

The launch for Issue No. 1 was so unbelievable that I still can’t wrap my head around it. It was at Wise Bar in Bloordale. I wanted to choose a fully accessible space (which is few and far between!!!) and Wise Bar’s cozy atmosphere seemed like the perfect spot for my expected turnout of maybe 20 people. Before the readings even started, we were beyond capacity and had to turn away folks for the rest of the night! Over 100 people ended up coming out and the zine’s first run of 80 sold out. It was wild! That felt like a community event because all the contributors got to meet each other, I got to meet them for the first time, and the space was just full of conversation and connection. The community since then has mainly been through the Instagram account. I am still trying to think of more ways for people to connect. I’ll get messages on IG or emails from people who have read the zine, but I want there to be a way for those comments to reach publicly so that all the contributors know how important their work has been for others.

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Wow, what an exceptional evening ✨ We doubled capacity by 7pm, the room was full of shared experiences and community vibes, and the readings were incredibly honest and touching. The first edition of Issue No. 1 is almost completely sold out, with only a couple prints left. If you didn’t get a chance to snag one, find the link in bio. My deepest thanks to everyone involved. Contributors, readers, friends who offered help and support, and Wise Bar for hosting. 🧡

A post shared by invisibilities zine (@invisibilitieszine) on Oct 17, 2018 at 8:04am PDT

Can you tell me a bit about the theme for issue No. 2 and what it means to you?

The theme centers on stories of womxn from the diaspora and immigrant families as a way to record transgenerational memories and reflections of identity. The themes in each issue also relate to myself (it would be a bit odd to create a platform for a group that I have no knowledge about or experience with myself, no?) Both of my parents are immigrants, and my family members have these unbelievable stories of escaping Iran during the Revolution as religious refugees. I have been making an effort to record some of those stories, as my grandmothers are getting quite old now. I know other people have similar experiences, so I thought an issue focused on these kinds of transnational memories and how they shape people’s own identities would be valuable.

Who are your museum muses in Toronto?

People I’ve worked with at the AGO who I also currently work with at MOCA in the visitor experience teams have been amazing. They’re so dedicated to creating positive interactions with visitors and producing fun and engaging tours. The ladies over at Margins of Eras Gallery and CUE are really active in changing the landscape of museums (although I’ve never personally met any of them). My OG muse is my friend Khristine, who graduated from MMSt a few years ago and was the one who helped me figure out the steps I needed to take in order to grow more in the field. She shares my sentiments about decolonizing art institutions and trying to think more progressively in how we approach our jobs. Anytime I find myself struggling in the field, she’s a great person to talk to. My non-Toronto shoutouts are to the three female directors of Studio Museum Harlem and Kimberly Drew in NYC, and the ladies running the programming at Alserkal Avenue and Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai.

 invisibilities issue No. 1 open to film photograph of Krystle Nacion, one of 5 womxn Melina interviewed. 
Photo courtesy of Melina Mehr. 

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

GLOSSY GAL PALS MAKE THEIR OWN MUSES

She’s My Muse | Kathleen Lew

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What does it mean to “get ready with” Atleigh Homma?

If I've Been Enveloped in Tenderness at the Brandscape. Photo courtesy of Jamie A.M.

This Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist showed us her beauty routine from Nov 22-29 at The Brandscape with her first solo show. Curated by Kesang Nanglu, Master of Museum Studies student, curator, artist— If I’ve Been Enveloped in Tenderness made the beauty world a palette for art criticism and friendship.

If I’ve Been Enveloped in Tenderness references the closing song of the 1989 animated film Kiki’s Delivery Service, addressing themes of vulnerability and self-doubt—a soft-hitting familiarity to young women and emerging artists.

"It can be difficult to own your success as an arts professional and I think this is especially the case for many women. However, I don’t think vulnerability and self-doubt are necessarily weaknesses—they grant a curator (or anyone), compassion and empathy in the work that they do," Nanglu shares.

“Priming your face is really important you know? You prime your canvases… you need to do the same for your face.” (source)

Homma’s voice welcomed visitors entering the exhibition with a video installation of her series The Joy of Atleigh (Bob Ross anyone?). The project lives on YouTube, Homma taking on the role of Beauty Guru and Vlogger to explore her identity as an artist, mixed-race woman, and young person. Homma blends the boundaries between influencer and parody, with videos such as "GRWM: ART OPENINGS | The Joy of Atleigh". The work juxtaposes expectations of women artists with make-up tips, a criticism so casual that you almost miss it. These subtle subversions position Homma as the subject in a digital world full of objects for social media consumption.

“With going to art events there’s always other expectations involved that need to be maintained like socializing and networking. Here I am doing my mascara, I use waterproof mascara after curling my eyelashes because it holds the curl better.” (source)

Atleigh Homma, I like the idea of romantic thoughts, but I’m just not that poetic of a person, 2018.
Photo courtesy of Jamie A.M.

The exhibition continues with paintings and embroidery, Homma navigating images of the western art historical muse in a millennial context. An aesthetic self-portrait in her bedroom is sprinkled with imperfections of an old flannel shirt and a strange feeling of disturbing privacy. Glossier Balm Dotcom and a Stiegl Grapefruit Radler are turned into a hazy still life in embroidery. Homma’s work explores how millennial culture and digital media filter women’s image-making.

Homma explains, "I often feel like I am not taken seriously as a female artist because of my femininity (as well as being bi-racial) which expands to being overlooked or unheard. When I talk to other women about how I feel there is exchange of shared experience, validation and solidarity. So when I make work, I try to ask the art world (but also the digital world) how do we engage with women?"

Atleigh Homma, I Don’t Feel Better Yet, 2018. Photo courtesy of Jamie A.M.

Homma may be familiar to you, Nanglu wrote about The Joy of Atleigh in November 2017 with “Girls who Like ‘Urban Decay’ and Social Theory”. Almost a year later, Nanglu curates her friend’s first solo exhibition.

Nanglu and Homma’s relationship was clear the moment I entered, whether it was the portrait of Nanglu front and center or the subtle colour match of their opening night outfits. This intimate layer of the exhibition stayed with me long past the opening. It caused me to consider, how can emerging museum professionals and women in the arts & culture sector practice Shine Theory?

Shine Theory, coined by Anne Friedman and Aminatou Sow, refers to women supporting their peers without seeing it as a threat to their own success. Shine Theory’s solution to “intimidating women” is simple: befriend them, “surrounding yourself with the best people doesn’t make you look worse by comparison. It makes you better” (source). As two young artists in Toronto, Homma and Nanglu could easily perceive each other as competition, but If I’ve Been Enveloped in Tenderness makes it very clear that they, like many of us, are allies.

Kesang Nanglu [left] and Atleigh Homma [right] interact with visitors on opening night.
Photo courtesy of Jamie A.M.

"Ideally, I believe that collaboration between an artist and a curator should operate on equal ground, so having trust and respect for each other before the project even began really allowed for that" Nanglu recalls.

Homma describes the process of working with Nanglu as a blessing, "we are very good friends so she was undoubtedly an expert on my work. Furthermore, she was an expert on the YouTube genre itself as well as all the critical theory within my work (she’s brilliant!). I know for me I felt cared for in this experience, she made these amazing pamphlets and designed a fantastic hanging layout. But she also went shopping with me right before the show when I was in a state of panic and helped me. I think that’s really special."

As women in the art world, we are all simultaneously the idealized and the idealizer. When we turn our muses into friends, we support a culture that is collaborative rather than competitive. Perhaps a partial entry to vulnerability is a deeper awareness of how personal relationships shape our practice—enveloping ourselves in tenderness.

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End of the night with my kind and talented friend 🎀

A post shared by kes (@kesangn) on Nov 23, 2018 at 12:09pm PST

#5WOMENARTISTS...AND THEN WHAT?

SHE’S MY MUSE

BY: KATHLEEN LEW

As Women’s History Month comes to an end, it is important to remember the feminist art collective Guerilla Girls’ iconic 1990 Pop Quiz:

“If February is Black History Month and March is Women’s History Month what happens the rest of the year?”

“Discrimination.”

March is almost over, but sexism and oppression remain in the art world, museums, and beyond.

Source.

This is the 3rd year of the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ (NMWA) social media campaign #5WomenArtists. During Women's History Month, the campaign asks people to name 5 women artists. It’s more challenging than you think—try it (bonus points if your list only includes living artists). The hashtag also encourages museums to highlight women artists in their collections. The NMWA strives for equal gender representation in the art world. #5WomenArtists elicits shock, creates greater engagement with women's art, and starts valuable discussion about gender parity in the arts.

Source.

This year, the campaign emphasizes women artists of colour with #5WomenArtists of colour. The exercise becomes increasingly powerful when race is added to the equation.

The questions are endless—Can you name five Black women artists? Five Indigenous women artists? Five Asian women artists?

#5WomenArtists of colour encourages participants to explore the importance of intersectionality in feminism and why certain gaps of knowledge exist.

Can you name #5WomenArtists of colour?
This #InternationalWomensDay we spotlight #TabitaRezaire - a digital artist who unearths the possibilities of #decolonialhealing through the politics of technology. Her is work currently on show @thearmoryshow Focus (F25, Pier 92). pic.twitter.com/ZzYgxAosK8

— Goodman Gallery (@Goodman_Gallery) March 8, 2018

What is a “woman artist” anyway?

Yes, some artists identify as women, among many other things. “Woman” is a category made up of a diverse group of individuals who act within intersections of race, sexuality, class, age, ability, etc. By limiting artists to the title of “woman artist”, we risk further marginalizing an entire group of creators based on their gender.

"The construction of femininity is a construction, yes, but also it can be twisted and turned around in such a way that doesn't necessarily mean it is pointing to the female body or male body in such a binary fashion." —Lorna Simpson #5WomenArtists

"Backdrops Circa 1940s," 1998 pic.twitter.com/907ag9072n

— Hammer Museum (@hammer_museum) March 12, 2018

#5WomenArtists is an important first step (or tweet), but it is far from the last. Campaigns like #5WomenArtists need to lead to concrete institutional and systemic change—in our textbooks, in our museums, and in our understandings of art. As Linda Nochlin teaches us, male-dominated narratives are institutionally reinforced through museums, the art market, and education, building an environment that fundamentally disadvantages women.

Source.

Fighting for greater representation of women artists is important and inspiring, but how can we address what left them out in the first place? We must push our celebrations and criticisms to both incorporate and move beyond womanhood. Engaging with intersectional feminism in museums is crucial. It means unlearning sexism, teaching anti-oppression, and holding ourselves and others accountable.

A museum can tweet about the women artists in their collection, but where is the explanation of why  gender disparities continue to exist on gallery walls? #FiveWomenArtists raises awareness for all the incredible women creators of past, present, and future. That future needs to include addressing institutional weaknesses, bringing the hashtag into concrete action and sustainable change.

Can you name #5WomenArtists? Today we’re marking day one of #WomensHistoryMonth by handing over to Katy Hessel of @thegreatwomenartists to share her favourite five from Tate’s collection. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ '2017's #TurnerPrize winner, and the first artist ever to win the prize over the age of 50, Lubaina Himid found fame championing the British Black Arts Movement of the 1980s. Zanzibar-born and Preston-based, Himid's work (which comes in woodcuts, ceramics, paintings and more) challenges stereotypical depictions of black figures in art history. The above painting from 1991 shows two women covered with a map of the past in search of new robes and a new direction. As Lubaina is the poster woman for contemporary art right now, it seems to be going in a very good direction.’ - Katy ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Keep posted for Katy’s #5WomenArtists today and let us know who’d be amongst your #5WomenArtists. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Lubaina Himid, Ankledeep 1991, Tate collection

A post shared by Tate (@tate) on Mar 1, 2018 at 5:04am PST

NMWA’s use of social media has spread the reality of gender inequality across the internet in a creative and effective way. This month’s emphasis on race is an extremely valuable addition. But how can we end the discrimination that is occurring the rest of the year?

Yes to #FiveWomenArtists. Even more yes to #FiveWomenArtists of colour. But then what?

Source.

FINDING A "COCOON OF LACE" WITH FLORINE STETTHEIMER AT THE AGO

SHE'S MY MUSE

BY: KATHLEEN LEW

While attending Florine Stettheimer: Painting Poetry at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), curated by Georgina Uhlyarik (AGO) and Stephen Brown (The Jewish Museum) it became increasingly apparent that this exhibition would be a museum muse.

LEFT: Florine Stettheimer, Family Portrait I (detail), 1915, AGO. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Lew (2017).
RIGHT: Entry Panel for Florine Stettheimer: Painting Poetry at the AGO. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Lew (2017).

At first, I was skeptical how Stettheimer and her work was “feminist,” as claimed by the AGO press. I wondered what feminist insights I could gain from what appeared to be an extremely privileged woman. The more I breathed in the flowers, I realized that I had been given the opportunity to enter Stettheimer’s fantastical world of floral, lace, drama, powerful women, and subversive ideas. It is what Stettheimer chose to create with her privilege and skill that is feminine and fascinating. 

 Florine Stettheimer, Family Portrait II, 1933. Source.

Stettheimer (1871-1944) was part of a wealthy, educated, and well-travelled Jewish family based in New York. She enjoyed painting, theatre, and poetry. With her mother, Rosetta, and sisters Caroline and Henrietta, Stettheimer ran a salon for artists and intellectuals. The exclusive salon was a place to share ideas and art, welcoming familiar figures such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Marcel Duchamp. Stettheimer’s work depicts an early 20th century New York through the Stettheimer gaze, one that is unapologetically female. 

Florine Stettheimer, Portrait of my Sister, Ettie Stettheimer (detail), 1923, AGO. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Lew (2017).

In Georgina Uhlyarik curator’s talk, Uhlyarik described how Stettheimer invented a world with her art, in which she was the subject, and controlled her own meaning and image. An “echo of domesticity”, Stettheimer depicted her family and female mentors, making influential women participants in her own art historical narrative. 

Florine Stettheimer, Spring Sale at Bendel's, 1921, AGO. Photo Courtesy of Kathleen Lew (2017). 

Stettheimer rarely publicly showed her work, having few exhibitions outside her salon. Stettheimer painted an incredibly personal representation of self. She wanted to share her art with a select group in an intimate setting. Resisting the male-dominated art market meant that her work would be widely unknown; however, she once stated, “letting people have your paintings is like letting them wear your clothes.” (Source.) 

Florine Stettheimer, The Model, 1915, at the AGO. Photo Courtesy of Kathleen Lew (2017). 

Stettheimer's The Model, 1915, is also considered to be the first feminist nude. While not identified by the artist, scholars have determined that The Model is Stettheimer, and is one of the earliest fully nude self-portraits in Western art. In this work Stettheimer’s gaze echoes her art-making, a confidence that does not welcome consumption. 

Florine Stettheimer, Portrait of Louis Bouché, 1923, at the AGO. Photo Courtesy of Kathleen Lew (2017).
Bouché was an American painter and muralist who thought lace was a symbol of Victorian bad taste. Stettheimer paints Bouché, surrounding him with “the despised Nottingham lace, most cleverly arranged and painted” - Henry McBride, critic (AGO, Painting Poetry panel) 

I think it is important to acknowledge that this was the type of woman that referred to her bedroom as a “cocoon of lace.” She used art to assert agency over her surroundings—whether it was the intellectual salon, a largely male-dominated art world, the segregation of Jewish peoples, high and material culture, or a lack of female perspective. Stettheimer produced depictions of subversive sexuality and gender performativity that celebrates women and their autonomy. I may be referring to my own bedroom as a “cocoon of lace” from this point forward. 

Florine Stettheimer, Self-Portrait with Paradise Birds, 1910s, AGO. Photo Courtesy of Kathleen Lew (2017).

Whether it was painting herself as a historical female nude, with her family, or as an artist, Stettheimer practiced art making on her own terms. Stettheimer did not compromise her artistic vision, insisting there be a place for herself and her family in art—creating some of the most unique and important works of her time. By entering Stettheimer’s world, we learn to be unafraid of exploring the distinctly female experience, whether it is a cocoon of lace or something more.