Woman Art Revolution by Lynn Hershman Leeson - The Feminist Art Movement (1hr 22min)

   !Women Art Revolution - Lynn Hershman Leeson 
(1hr 22min)

Lynn Hershman Leeson's film "!Women Art Revolution" examines the feminist art movement from the 1960's through the twenty first century. With countless videos, photographs, and interviews from artists, the film highlights the struggles and successes of women artists of the feminist art movement. 

The feminist art movement was formed as a response to the belief that women artists did not have a place in the art world. Lynn Hershman Leeson discusses being rejected by museums on the account that her work "wasn't art" and that she had no place there. Buyers rescinded offers on her art after learning the art was created by a woman. Today, she has sold her art for 9,000x the original price. The feminist art movement created change that allows women to exist and succeed in the industry today.

The Woman's Building, Los Angelos

Artists in the movement created performances, artwork, and institutions to create a place for women to make art. Judy Chicago, Arlene Raven, and Sheila de Bretteville formed the feminist studio workshop together to create a place for women to learn about and exhibit art. It was called The Woman's Building, and played an important role in the creation and education of feminist art.

 

Guerrilla Girls, Benvenuti alla biennale femminista! (from the series "Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2"), 2005; Lithographic poster, 17 x 11 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay; © Guerrilla Girls, Courtesy guerrillagirls.com

Guerrilla Girls, Do Women Have to Be Naked to Get Into the Met. Museum?, 1989. Poster.

A group formed during the feminist art movement I particularly enjoyed learning about was the Guerilla Girls. The Guerilla Girls are an anonymous group of feminist artists dedicated to promoting equality and recognition for women artists. The Guerilla Girls recognized that it is not enough to simply say, "it is wrong that women are not recognized in the art industry." Instead, they used humor to illustrate their ideas and make change. They launched protests and campaigns with flyers and posters to gain attention to their cause. Their posters use insightful facts about discriminatory practices blended with humor that leaves a lasting impression on their audience.  

Women are accepted today as artists because of the work the women of the 1970's and 80's did. As a female artist myself, it's hard to imagine what life would be like today if not for the feminist art movement. It is because of their push for change that women can participate in the art industry, and that we as viewers have such a diverse catalogue of artwork made by women to view and learn from today.