Thank You!

THANK YOU:

• U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker for lifting the temporary stay on same-sex marriage and allowing same-sex couples to continue marrying on August 18th!


• Dolores Huerta for hosting the "Weaving Movements Together" Benefit Concert at the Greek Theatre yesterday!


• Kentucky Foundation for Women for awarding $100,000 in grants to feminist artist and social justice organizations


• California Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) for authoring SB 677 regarding property owned by human traffickers

Dan the Dude: Lessons in Organizing

Anton's blogpost yesterday mentioned Dan the Dude, an amazing zine that explains the "Dos and Don'ts" of non-patriarchal, privilege conscience organizing by following the exploits of Dan, a straight white man and committed organizer. I love it so much (thanks Anton!) that I decided it's worth its own post.

Robin, the artist behind the zine, wrote it to express some of her frustrations as a feminist member of Students for Democratic Society, but she is careful to point out that

Dan is a white, straight male because many of his bad behaviors are ones typically carried out by people with these privileges. However, despite the "dude" label, these behaviors are not confined only to people who look like Dan. Women, transpeople, queer people and peple of color can also be guilty of committing Dan's "DONT"S.

And it's true, in reading the zine I recognized both the privileged behavior of others but also that of myself (much to my chagrin). It served as a reminder that I must keep myself in check and always be aware of how my behavior is affecting those with whom and for whom I am working. The zine is a must read for all activists, no matter their identities.

Why So Few Women in Museums?

Looking through the galleries of an art museum, whether it is LACMA, the national gallery, or the Louvre, you are unlikely to find more than a handful of female artists. This is not due to a lack of talented women, it is because women were not allowed in art academies or to apprentice under mentors. Art was seen as a distraction from a woman's true work- taking care of her family.

Those women who did learn to paint were most often related to male artists who would sign their work and claim it as their own. Judith Leyster, the only well known female artist of the Dutch Baroque, was often passed off as her male contemporary Franz Hals by art dealers trying to get a higher price. Art Historians suspect that some of Jan Van Eyk's greatest masterpieces were painted by his sister.

Thanks to feminist art historians, female artists throughout history are beginning to get notice. While women still may be scarce in museums, the internet is a great resource for finding out more about female artists.

This awesome website highlights the work of women throughout the centuries and provides links to other websites that tell the story of women in art.

photo courtesy of www.flickr.com

A Night at the Ballet Like No Other

I was in dance until third grade. While I had to aspirations of becoming a fabulous ballerina, I think that dance is a wonderful part of every culture across the globe, and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is no exception.

ABC News did a story on this exceedingly refreshing and talented dance group. What is so different about this group of ballerinas? Well, first off, they are all men. Secondly, they take the time-honored and much loved ballet and perform a satirized version that has wowed and entertained people for years.

I can appreciate this on two levels. First, I've been known to enjoy a good satire. But, what I like even better than satire are reversed gender roles and norms. This group shows that the grace, talent, and beauty of ballet is not solely the domain of women. By having men fill roles that are usually reserved for women, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo gets their audiences thinking about gender and art. And, what feminist doesn't appreciate that?

Drag performances not only make us think about what actions, characteristics, and clothing are assigned to a specific gender, but they also force us to consider how all gender is performative and socially constructed (there's a little Judith Butler for you to nibble on).

Photo courtesy of www.flickr/er-photo

Feminist Art: Guerrilla Girls Poster

The Guerrilla Girls are feminist artists who use posters to inform people about women's, race, media, and political issues.

The Guerrilla Girls made a poster in 2005 called Do Women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? Text right below the title says, "Less than 3% of the artists in the Modern Art sections are women, but 83% of the nudes are female."The poster's subject is a nude woman with a gorilla head, holding a fan, and wearing bracelets. In front of a yellow orange background, she is reclining on a folded, wrinkled, purple blanket. She was inspired by French Neoclassical painter Ingres'

Grand Odalisque painting from 1814 at the Louvre museum in Paris.

As a fan of modern art, I find it ridiculous that "less than 3% of the artists in the Modern Art sections are women." Why can't there be a larger percentage of female artists in the Modern Art sections of the museum? Shouldn't the museum try to support female modern artists? Do they support male modern artists more? I hope that as an institution of learning they can promote the idea of gender equality among modern artists.

Why "do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?" Why is it that "83% of the nudes are female" at the museum? Why can't there be an equal number of male and female nudes at the museum?

It is sad for me to see that the percentage of female nudes is significantly larger than the percentage of female modern artists in the museum. I hope that in the future there will be more female modern artists and less female nudes in the Met.

Foremothers in the Arts: Alice Neel

Women in the arts are continuously overshadowed by male artists. In every media women are put on the back burner. If you don't believe me, ask the Guerrilla Girls, or look up how many female artists are displayed at prominent museums compared to male artists. Like being an artist just isn't hard enough, the patriarchy is still there, making it even harder. That is why I have chosen to blog once again about another important artist to me, so to continue with this foremothers theme, I would like to introduce you to the dynamic Alice Neel.

Neel was born near Philadelphia in 1900, she studied at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women. In the 30's she lived in Greenwich Village, New York. With very leftist thinking and a strong social consciousness, she lived the life that I dream of. She painted dynamic portraits of Andy Warhol and Frank O'Hara. She supported black activists and was friends with leaders in the women's movement. She painted portraits of them during her time living in the Upper West Side. Neel received numerous awards, including the International Women's Year Award in 1976 and the National Women's Caucus for Art Award for outstanding achievement in the visual arts in 1979. Her nude portraits done during this time were ground breaking and completely unrestrained. Neel died in 1984.

Her self portrait is probably her most well known piece, I saw it a few weekends ago in the National Portrait Gallery (in the above right photo). She was unashamed of her body and age, which is rare. Her style is so influential and I used her as reference in my undergraduate thesis that I just finished last semester. In my thesis, I examined archetypes of women in Greek mythology. I wrote a paper and had a show of six paintings that represented six various goddesses. Neal was known for her unique way of illuminating "flaws". She illuminated the most prominent trait of her subjects. For example, if someone had a large and obviously prominent nose, then she would make it a large and definitive part of the piece. I used this technique when referencing a certain prominent part of the goddesses from either their physical description or myth, and making it obviously seen in the piece.

I love everything about her work, from her self portrait, to her earlier nudes, to the 1967 oil, Nancy and Olivia.

Thank you Alice Neel for living a fascinating life, sharing your art, and opening up the lines between feminism, political consciousness, and painting.

Celebration of Our Foremothers in the Arts: Frida Kahlo

When I think who I consider to be my foremothers, I have to take into consideration women in the arts. Frida Kahlo, although born in Mexico, greatly influenced US art and culture. She brought women into surrealism (although not a self proclaimed surrealist) with her collection of over 200 oil paintings, all the while suffering great physical pain. In many ways, Frida was one of the artists that helped me to realize that feminism can be seen in all media, including painting. And through this connection, my interest in feminism expanded.

Frida Kahlo was born in 1907 in Mexico City, and at age six she was diagnosed with polio. In 1922 she entered the most prestigious school in Mexico, Preparatoria (National Preparatory School), which had just begun to admit girls. In 1925 she was in a near fatal bus accident in Mexico which left her with serious injuries that she dealt with for the rest of her life. This incident led her to paint her first self portrait in 1926.

After having her first solo exhibition in 1953, she was involved in prestigious group shows in the U.S. at the Museum of Modern Art, the Boston Institute of Contemporary Arts, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Although associated with some of the most famous male surrealist like Picasso and Kandinsky, Kahlo did not want to be labeled and did not like being categorized with these men. "They thought I was a Surrealist," she said, "but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality."

Frida Kahlo's paintings chart the events of her life through her eyes. Women's artwork began to be seen in a different light and was forever changed. No woman before her had depicted the darkness, pain, and suffering that Kahlo painted. Frida showed women's experiences through disablement, rejection, miscarriage, suffering, Mexican-ness, Jewishness, homosexuality, revolution, and devotion. Kahlo showed the United States and the world that women can paint more than flowers and place settings, she showed the female experience as thicker and darker. Her technique is all her own. Her figures are personal, and exhibit how she saw herself. They are not realistic, they are imaginative and that is what makes them unique.

Kahlo died in her sleep in 1954. There was suspicion of suicide but nothing was ever proven. She was a communist, controversial, and unapologetic. Frida Kahlo's last journal entry said, 'I hope the end is joyful - and I hope never to come back - Frida.'

March to the Beat of your Own Drum--this summer in DC!

• WOMEN

• Empowerment

• Expression

• …Drumming

Combine the above elements in this summer’s the Young Women’s Drumming Empowerment Project's 8-week workshop beginning on July 8th. The workshop is called the Summer Enrichment Program and strives to increase participants' confidence, creativity, and expression.

Participants of this workshop won’t just be sitting around beating a conga, though. The rigorous schedule includes meditation, yoga, team-building, and healthy snacks/lunches provided by Whole Foods.

The conclusion of the workshop will feature a concert for the public in mid-September, showcasing the participants' hard work while celebrating their raw creativity.

Apply Now!

Free summer concerts in DC!

The Washingtonian has helpfully compiled a list of free music performances scheduled this summer. These are tough economic times, so anything free is music to my ears.

Most are outdoors and under-21 friendly, which is cool (and hot). Special shoutout to the Fort Reno summer series in Tenleytown, which took a hiatus last summer while arsenic was removed from the park. It's now arsenic-free, and as of Monday, will no longer be hipster-free.

But that's okay. I'm hoping to go next week, so let me know if you're down!

Feminism and Art

Following in the theme of feminism and art, we would like to point out a few resources for fellow feminists interested in art and literature. Our Truths magazine, a bi-annually printed, “pro-voice” magazine accepts stories, poems, and art, depicting women’s experiences with abortion. The “pro-voice” idea hopes to create a safe haven in which women can share their abortion experiences. Written in both English and Spanish, their latest edition, entitled “humor,” shows how humor had helped some women with their abortion experiences (funny stories about the doctors, or jokes that nurses told them before the abortion, etc).

While traveling to France is not probably very high on people’s agendas with our current economy, the Pompidou Center is showing a unique exhibit solely displaying art by women. All of the male art normally showcased in this area of the museum will be put into storage, while more than 500 pieces of female artwork will fill the spotlight in the exhibit elles@centrepompido. Spanning from early 20^th century to today’s modern art, this exhibit is sure to be fantastic, and definitely one of a kind. This exhibit runs from May 27, 2009 through May 24 , 2010, so get your passport ready!

However, if a trip to Paris isn’t exactly in your budget, don’t worry! Mark your very distant calendars, because on October 3^rd , from 10am-5pm, The Crafty Bastards art festival will be in full swing in the Marie Reed Learning Center in Adams Morgan. The event will be free to the public, and festival viewers may stroll through the rows of independent artwork. All of the artwork will be for sale and include: photography, furniture, jewelry, rock star baby clothing, and beyond! Food and live music will be everywhere, and don’t hesitant to bring your dog if you want! Submissions are accepted until July 5th, so please submit!