Wednesday, March 19, 2014

WOMEN IN ART: JUDY CHICAGO

If you've never heard of Judy Chicago you cannot call yourself a fan of Feminist Art. She created one of the most influential and important pieces of art in Feminist Art History. The Dinner Party is her claim to fame in 1979 and will keep people talking for many years to come. If you still have no idea, then keep reading.

The Dinner Party is an installation piece of art which included 39 place settings for historical or mythological women. Even though it has toured continents, it is now permanently based in the Brooklyn Museum, New York. 


Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party, 1974-1979, ceramic, porcelain and textile, Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. Photo: © Aislinn Weidele for Polshek Partnership Architects
One of the most amazing things about this piece is that the floor is made of white triangular tiles with 999 notable women inscribed, this is called the Heritage Floor. "Chicago states that the criteria for a woman's name being included in the floor were one or more of the following:
  1. She had made a worthwhile contribution to society
  2. She had tried to improve the lot of other women
  3. Her life and work had illuminated significant aspects of women's history
  4. She had provided a role model for a more egalitarian future."
The women that have place settings range from three time periods: Prehistory to the Roman Empire, Beginnings of Christianity to the Reformation, and American to the Women's Revolution. 
Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party (Hildegarde of Bingen place setting), 1974–79. Mixed media: ceramic, porcelain, textile. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. Photograph by Jook Leung Photography

Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). The Dinner Party (Margaret Sanger place setting), 1974–79. Mixed media: ceramic, porcelain, textile. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. Photograph by Jook Leung Photography
 Each of the separate table settings have a "vagina butterfly" theme to them. This alone has created both criticism and praise. People still feel uncomfortable about this and they vocalize their thoughts. While others find it very empowering and amazing and fully support the forward thinking. It's amazing to think that this piece can still cause great controversy even though it came out 35 years ago.
What's your opinion?

Citations:
Image: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party/
Quotes: Chicago, Judy. The Dinner Party: From Creation to Preservation. London: Merrell (2007) , Heritage panels , page 289.
Information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dinner_Party#cite_note-Chicago_2007-5

2 comments:

  1. I love the Dinner Party! I never knew about the vagina butterfly theme, but it makes sense now after looking at it! Who would you have if you created a Dinner Party?

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    1. I love the Dinner Party too! I'm surprised that many people are so unaware of it.
      I think I would incorporate a lot of women that were apart of moving our women's (and civil) rights forward as well as women who are very important in history instead of some of the more mythological women that Judy Chicago used. For instance, I'd need to include Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Joan of Arc, and Eleanor Roosevelt. But I'd definitely keep some that she had like Sappho, Hatshepsut, Hildegarde of Bingen, Sacajawea, Sojourner Truth, Emily Dickenson, Virginia Woolf, and Georgia O'Keeffe.

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