Feminist Art & Theory 1970 to Present

3 units

How have feminist artists and theorists challenged the conventions of art history? This course begins with the feminist art world activism that arose in the 1970s in the context of the women's liberation movement. During this time, feminist artists sought to establish new forms of art education, venues for exhibiton, and creative working methods to provide alternatives to traditional art world institutions (which were often seen as ill-suited or unreceptive). We will examine how current artists, building on this recent history, continue to develop feminist aesthetics and politics in a variety of contemporary practices, including installation art, body art, performance art, and video. We will read texts by Griselda Pollock, Linda Nochlin, Lucy Lippard, Carolee Schneemann, Helene Cixous, Laura Mulvey, Lisa Tickner, Judith Butler, Adrian Piper, and Helen Moelsworth, among others, and discuss the relationship between feminist theory and artistic creativity. Prerequisites: 300 level class in art history or 300 level class in gender studies or permission of the instructor.