International Juried Exhibition, presented with Women’s Caucus for Art at A.I.R. Gallery in NYC from September 10 – October 11, 2015 with Catherine Morris, Curator, Elizabeth Sackler Center, as juror for the exhibition. Catherine selected 36 works for the A.I.R. Gallery and an additional 83 for the online gallery and exhibition catalog. Who’s Afraid of Feminism is a feminist exhibition presenting art from cross-generational, self-identified women artists that addresses feminism with a contemporary spin. These works incite the viewer to question the current social and political landscape, and the continuing need for gender equality. The exhibiting artists, using a variety of media, elucidate where feminism has been and where it is going, and explore feminism’s political, personal and formal contexts.
WCA and A.I.R. Gallery present art from cross-generational, self-identified women artists that addresses feminism with a contemporary spin. These works incite the viewer to question the current social and political landscape, and the continuing need for gender equality. The exhibiting artists, using a variety of media, elucidate where feminism has been and where it is going, and explore feminism’s political, personal and formal contexts. With a surge of interest about the place of women in the art market and art world, with a record number of discussions throughout social media channels, WHO’S AFRAID OF FEMINISM highlights what still needs to be done to influence cultural attitudes and transform stereotypes about women in the arts.
The artists in the exhibition at A.I.R. are: ShonaghAdelman, Tara Booth, Amy Cannestra, Katherine Cooksey, Julie Sinclair Eakin, Sally Edelstein, Christine Giancola, Lucy Julia Hale, Coco Hall, Maiza Hixson, Kristina Lenzi, Sinan Leong Revell, J. J. L’Heureux, Sarah Maple, Sandra Matthews, Brittany Prater, Carly Ries, Trix Rosen, Cecilia Rossey, Lisa Seidenberg, Gwen Shockey, Meg Stein, Rhonda M. Thomas, Nikki Thompson, Marie Tomanova, Margi Weir, and Ellen Wetmore.
Catherine Morris states: The exhibition “Who’s Afraid of Feminism?” celebrates the resilience of feminism. Sometimes it seems that the death, or at least the irrelevancy, of feminism is trumpeted through some form of media on a weekly basis. Even in the face of a profound shift in our understanding of gender identity, feminism endures as a vital social, political and economic necessity. In the art world, one tenacious model of feminism’s endurance is the group show devoted exclusively to women artists. The strategy of the (self-identified) women only show hasn’t really changed in more than forty-five years – they are a direct response, a straightforward method of correction to the overwhelmingly male metrics of representation in the mainstream art world. The relevancy of the model is routinely questioned and yet, like feminism, they endure, understood by the artists who participate in them as offering personal opportunities to present work as well productive occasions for community building. “Who’s Afraid of Feminism?” acknowledges the complicated ways we position ourselves, while also simply acknowledging artists’ pragmatic desire to share their work with the world within the context of support systems such as the Women’s Caucus for Art and A.I.R. Gallery, which continue to provide significant and necessary opportunities for women artists.
View exhibition catalog here.
About the Gallery: A.I.R. Gallery is a permanent exhibition space that supports an open exchange of ideas and risk–taking by women artists in order to provide support and visibility. As an artist-run organization, A.I.R. fosters involvement through multiple tiers of representation: New York, National, Adjunct, and Alumnae Artists. A self-directed governing body, the organization is alternative to mainstream institutions and thrives on the network of active participants. Collaborations and partnerships with outside organizations and individuals ensure a platform informed by a diverse community and representative of broad views. A.I.R. maintains a gallery space in Brooklyn, NY and exhibits the work of hundreds of women artists each year. In addition to public open calls: Generations, the Biennial, Currents, and the Postcard Show, A.I.R. hosts many events, lectures and symposia on feminism, art and much more. Our programs engage an audience across a broad spectrum of experiences while creating a lively discourse among artists. A.I.R.’s Fellowship Program For Emerging and Underrepresented Women Artists provides a year-long career development intensive for six artists each year as well as life-long support and collaboration. Since 1972, when a group of visionary women artists opened the first gallery space at 97 Wooster Street in Soho, A.I.R. Gallery has been leading the way in championing women artists, increasing their visibility and the viability of their endeavors. http://airgallery.org
