Feminism Art Theory

Charting over 45 years of feminist debate on the significance of gender in the making and understanding of art, the long-anticipated new edition of Feminism-Art-Theory has been extensively updated and reworked. Completely revised, retaining only one-third of the texts of the earlier edition, with all other material being new inclusions Brings together 88 revealing texts from North America, Europe and Australasia, juxtaposing writings from artists and activists with those of academics Embraces a broad range of threads and perspectives, from diverse national and global approaches, lesbian and queer theory, and postmodernism, to education and aesthetics Includes many classic texts, but is particularly notable for its inclusion of rare and significant material not reprinted elsewhere Provides a uniquely flexible resource for study and research due to its scale and structure; each of the seven sections focuses on a specific area of debate, with texts arranged chronologically in order to show how issues and arguments developed over time

From the Preface:"The essays in Feminist Art Criticism are theoretical, and we selected them for several reasons. First, they show a diversity of concerns. These include spirituality, sexuality, the representation of women in art, the necessary inter-relationship of theory and action, women as artmakers, ethnicity, language itself, so-called postfeminism and critiques of hte art world, the discipline of art history and the practice of art criticism. Second, the contributors' work has not been either widely disseminated or readily available. Third, the essays, especially arranged as they are (chronologically), demonstrate a continuous feminist discourse in art from the early 1970s through the present, a discourse that is neither monolithic nor intellectually trendy but that rather exhibits many elements, the polemical, Marxist, lyrical, and poststructuralist being only a few."

This text reviews feminist art strategies as they emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s in America and the UK. It draws together the views of prominent practitioners, critics, academics and curators on a broad range of controversial issues. The central focus of the book is feminism's engagement with psychoanalysis and post-modernism and its aim of deconstructing the borders between art and craft, and theory and practice. Feminist politics in the art world are also investigated through discussion of the negotiations of feminist curators, responses to feminist exhibitions, issues surrounding pornography and the censorship of women's work, and the role of feminist teaching on fine art and design degree courses. The book covers a variety of art work, including installation work, painting, textiles and photography.

Original essays offering fresh ideas and global perspectives on contemporary feminist art The term ‘feminist art’ is often misused when viewed as a codification within the discipline of Art History—a codification that includes restrictive definitions of geography, chronology, style, materials, influence, and other definitions inherent to Art Historical and museological classifications. Employing a different approach, A Companion to Feminist Art defines ‘art’ as a dynamic set of material and theoretical practices in the realm of culture, and ‘feminism’ as an equally dynamic set of activist and theoretical practices in the realm of politics. Feminist art, therefore, is not a simple classification of a type of art, but rather the space where feminist politics and the domain of art-making intersect. The Companion provides readers with an overview of the developments, concepts, trends, influences, and activities within the space of contemporary feminist art—in different locations, ways of making, and ways of thinking. Newly-commissioned essays focus on the recent history of and current discussions within feminist art. Diverse in scope and style, these contributions range from essays on the questions and challenges of large sectors of artists, such as configurations of feminism and gender in post-Cold War Europe, to more focused conversations with women artists on Afropean decoloniality. Ranging from discussions of essentialism and feminist aesthetics to examinations of political activism and curatorial practice, the Companion informs and questions readers, introduces new concepts and fresh perspectives, and illustrates just how much more there is to discover within the realm of feminist art. Addresses the intersection between feminist thinking and major theories that have influenced art theory Incorporates diverse voices from around the world to offer viewpoints on global feminisms from scholars who live and work in the regions about which they write Examines how feminist art intersects with considerations of collectivity, war, maternal relationships, desire, men, and relational aesthetics Explores the myriad ways in which the experience of inhabiting and perceiving aged, raced, and gendered bodies relates to feminist politics in the art world Discusses a range practices in feminism such as activism, language, education, and different ways of making art The intersection of feminist art-making and feminist politics are not merely components of a unified whole, they sometimes diverge and divide. A Companion to Feminist Art is an indispensable resource for artists, critics, scholars, curators, and anyone seeking greater strength on the subject through informed critique and debate.

Feminist art and theoretical aspects of feminism are linked via a unique and reciprocal bond whose influence extends far beyond their own bounds into the social, cultural, political and economic realms, as well as into the personal lives of women and men alike. This linkage was forged in different places around the world in the 1960s and 1970s. It was especially influential in the United States, during a decade which witnessed the emergence and growth of the Women’s Liberation, Civil Rights, LGBT, and hippie movements and the protest against the Vietnam War. In response to these events, large numbers of women artists joined the ranks of contemporary political-feminist activists, their art directly reflecting the concerns of feminist theory and practice. This volume adopts an interdisciplinary approach through which it compares American feminist art and artists with their European counterparts. In order to elucidate the geographical divide, this book takes as a test case the work of Mary Kelly who, while born in the USA, produced much of her work while living in Britain and under the influence of European thought. Challenging traditional disciplinary boundaries, it moves beyond an art-history survey to discuss the artistic field in relation to feminist theory and politics, revealing the continuing relevance of both areas for the contemporary reader. While concentrating upon the second wave of feminism in Europe and the USA, it also addresses aspects of the third wave and the current state of the feminist movement, particularly in respect to the Israeli art scene.

This important new book examines contemporary art while foregrounding the key role feminism has played in enabling current modes of artmaking, spectatorship and theoretical discourse. Contemporary Art and Feminism carefully outlines the links between feminist theory and practice of the past four decades of contemporary art and offers a radical re-reading of the contemporary movement. Rather than focus on filling in the gaps of accepted histories by ‘adding’ the ‘missing’ female, queer, First Nations and women artists of colour, the authors seek to revise broader understandings of contemporary practice by providing case studies contextualised in a robust art historical and theoretical basis. Readers are encouraged to see where art ideas come from and evaluate past and present art strategies. What strategies, materials or tropes are less relevant in today’s networked, event-driven art economies? What strategies and themes should we keep hold of, or develop in new ways? This is a significant and innovative intervention that is ideal for students in courses on contemporary art within fine arts, visual studies, history of art, gender studies and queer studies.

Available now as both paperback and e-book, this volume brings together the series of landmark introductory essays and prefaces written by Norma Broude and Mary D. Garrard for their three influential anthologies on feminism and art history (1982-2005); their introduction to The Power of Feminist Art, the first book on the American Feminist Art movement (1994); and the catalogue essay for Claiming Space, their co-curated exhibition of feminist art at American University (2007). Collectively, these introductory essays articulate many of the major and still relevant questions that have concerned feminist art historians and critics over the past quarter century, and they define shifts of thinking and theoretical controversies that developed in the field as a whole over those years. With a new preface entitled "Introducing the Introductions," these essays will provide scholars, teachers, and a younger generation of readers and students with an accessible overview of the historical evolution of feminist thinking about art and art history during its formative period.Broude and Garrard are professors emeritae of art history at American University in Washington D.C. Through their individual and collective scholarship, they have helped to define and shape the field of feminist art history. Their co-edited volumes of feminist essays have long served as basic texts in art history and women's studies courses in the United States and around the world.

Charting over 45 years of feminist debate on the significance of gender in the making and understanding of art, the long-anticipated new edition of Feminism-Art-Theory has been extensively updated and reworked. Completely revised, retaining only one-third of the texts of the earlier edition, with all other material being new inclusions Brings together 88 revealing texts from North America, Europe and Australasia, juxtaposing writings from artists and activists with those of academics Embraces a broad range of threads and perspectives, from diverse national and global approaches, lesbian and queer theory, and postmodernism, to education and aesthetics Includes many classic texts, but is particularly notable for its inclusion of rare and significant material not reprinted elsewhere Provides a uniquely flexible resource for study and research due to its scale and structure; each of the seven sections focuses on a specific area of debate, with texts arranged chronologically in order to show how issues and arguments developed over time