One of the Most Famous Art Parties Ever!

FAMOUS ART PARTIES

The Dinner Party  by Judy Chicago                                           from google image for education only

Our Artist Party for Martin Stynes(Rabbit's Moon Studio with Nathan Mark Phillips, and Lyman Zobel) made me think about famous art parties.  Renoir's Boat Party certainly was one very famous party.  But one that was very historic in many ways was Judy Chicago's Dinner Party.  The Dinner Party was a defining installation for women's issues. 

 It is a huge project that is different place settings that form a triangle, all of which are symbolic.  I will give you a link for an exact description of the piece.  I had the pleasure of meeting Judy Chicago in person at a book signing in Tampa.  Due to being at the right place at the right time, it was just me and my partner Ann sitting and talking to Judy for quite awhile before the crowds came.

  It was a magic moment.  She was not pretentious, but down to Earth, real and committed to her art and women's rights seen through a historical context. Another caveat is that as famous as this piece of art is, it is so large it takes special storage which Judy was trying to raise money to cover!   It will be forever one of my favorite moments in life, that interaction.  So below lets explore Judy Chicago's Dinner Party.

Eva Hesse/Pioneer in a Man's World

Eva Hesse has been one of the most interesting artist I have studied and her work early influenced my thinking about my art and the experimental nature of media.  Her story is one of tragedy, loss, and struggle.  She died at young age, yet made an indelible mark in the art world.

 For me Eva identified the scientific part of art that I love, the experimentation and discovery.  In her work I find the intellectualism that is missing in representational art.  In a world dominated by men in the art world she was a persistent force that refused not to be heard.  Her body of work now is looked on by other artists and critics as being a crucial step in minimalism by humanizing a normally cold structural movement.  If you are looking for beautiful representational art, you will not find it here.  What you will find is an artist involved in the discovery of new media, she is creating through experimentation with new materials.  

New York and the modern art scene has not always been friendly nor accepting of women, one could say there is a downright prejudice among museums and galleries to carry male artists work primarily.  That is why pioneers like Eva Hesse, Judy Chicago, Nancy Graves, Elizabeth Murray, Georgia O'Keefe, Louise Nevelson, Louise Bourgoise, Cindy Sherman , Niki de St. Phalle, Yayoi Kamasu, and others are so important.  They took on a male dominated art wold and persisted.  Women throughout history have played an important role in the art world, but in the past were not always recognized, many creating work that was credited to the men they studied with.  

I was fortunate to grow up with three strong women in my life: My Mother, my Aunt Josephine and my Grandmother.  Each were role models in their own right and gave me a gift of what it is to be a strong woman and define yourself in a male world.  They were accomplished women who persisted no matter the obstacle and succeeded.  I grew up with curious intellectual female role models, who taught me to think for myself and seek out the world on my own terms.  Strength of character was their mantra.  So it is in this vein I honor Eva Hesse and all the women artists who have made their mark in a male dominated art world and always persisted.