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| Laurie Simmons, detail of Kaleidoscope House, 2001. Source. |
It’s fitting that my final She’s My Muse article after nearly two years of writing under this column happens in the final days of Women’s History Month. As I stated (quite loudly) last year, March is almost over, but sexism and oppression remain in the art world, museums, and beyond. As my Museum Studies degree comes to an end, I can’t help but take a moment to be self-reflective. But in true She’s My Muse fashion, I will follow it quickly with a connection to current museum news and calls to action.
This column has been a place to grapple with how gender and feminism interact with museums, and how these spaces of power can be—and are currently being—transformed. She’s My Muse has not been an easy column to write; however, the moments of heartbreak and anger have been accompanied with learning and inspiration (and a healthy amount of self-doubt sprinkled in between). Together, we saw the rise of #MeToo and reflected on the memory (and re-memory) of prolific artists. I had the privilege of speaking with institutions that are advocating for marginalized creators and was continually inspired by the women in my class, in Toronto, and in the wider museum sector.
Finally, I set out to find muses and give other women a platform to share their own. I’d like to present you with a final one:
This post’s muse will look at the events surrounding photographer Laurie Simmons’ retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago (MCA). Big Camera/Little Camera was curated by Andrea Karnes at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Chicago is the second stop of the travelling exhibition and MCA Director Madeleine Grynsztejn added an exciting twist.
The MCA has introduced a new tier of discounted admission. Anyone who believes they have been negatively affected by the gender pay gap can pay $12 admission rather than the full $15 price (from February 24 to May 5). This approximately 81% difference represents the 81 cents women make to every male dollar (source). The new admission price supports Simmons’ practice, which challenges gendered archetypes and disturbs the ‘American Dream’ through photography. Her constructed scenes use models, dolls, and props to challenge understandings of femininity.
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Lack of representation, the pay gap, and its affects on artists and museum professionals is something the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) draws attention to year-round, with added social media campaigns in March. The NMWA’s #5WomenArtists campaign blasts these numbers across online platforms to draw attention to the sexism present in institutions. For example, out of a 2018 study of 820,000 exhibitions across public and commercial sectors, only one third were by women artists. When looking at museum professionals, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions, and the director positions they do hold are at museums with smaller budgets. The top three museums in the world (British Museum, Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art) have never had women directors.
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MCA’s recent dedication to women in the arts is a positive step, especially with the MCA’s 2018 exhibition What Remains to Be Seen, which looked at Howardena Pindell and studied demographics of women artists in New York museums. However, these efforts are not without their limitations. Most notably, a single admission discount does not account for the even wider pay gap for women of colour. An admission price difference is a strong (temporary) statement, but this should not be without looking into further action that accounts for intersectionality.
We also need to consider how these initiatives can be implemented in local contexts, such as supporting Canadian women in the arts. The recently closed Mickalene Thomas: Femme Noires was a beautiful exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Through monumental collages, Thomas’ work highlights the intersections between gender, race, and sexuality. She puts Black women at the forefront of her practice and critiques erasure in Western art history. However, Femme Noires is among only one other solo exhibition by a Black woman artist at the AGO, neither of which have been Canadian.
While the MCA is a leading example of what we have accomplished, there is always more to do to improve our structures and institutions. Change goes beyond the confines of this column, but I will be forever grateful for this tiny corner of the internet that has given me a place to discover powerful, intelligent, and dedicated women.
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