Feminist Art Program, Womenhouse and Hannah Wilke's SOS Starification Object Series
Here is a essay by Judy Chicago on what it felt like to go back to teaching art history after she left for a while, and about making Womenhouse and The Dinner Party: http://judychicago.arted.psu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Thoughts-on-Returning-to-Teaching-after-25-years-1999-Box-11-12.pdf
And here is the "Womenhouse Catalogue Essay" by Judy Chicago and Miriam Shapiro, who co-directed the feminist art program: http://www.womanhouse.net/statement. This is a rather amusing, engaging article. In it, Chicago and Shapiro describe how it wasn't just the final product and ideas behind Womenhouse that contributed to helping feminism; but the process and how it invigorated the women behind it, too. For instance, the prospect of house hunting, and then having to figure out how to use chainsaws and tools and whatnot to remodel the house somewhat to prepare it for the art and performances that would take place in it was rather intimidating at first. Yet, the co-directors kept on reminding their female students that they were allowed to use chainsaws, too (what with rebuilding houses being a male-dominated activity). As they built, the students than had to saw and hammer and dust while being thwarted by the neighbor of the soon-to-be Womenhouse in California, who confused them for long-haired hippies and commented on how none of them were wearing bras.
Around the same website one can find information on the performance pieces that took place inside the house. One involves Faith Wilding's "Waiting", in which she sits one of the rooms in Womenhouse and recites her poem about how women essentially spend their lives having to rely on other people, and waiting for things to happen.
Here is where you can read her full poem: http://faithwilding.refugia.net/waitingpoem.pdf
Hannah Wilke's S.O.S. Starification Object Series (1974-82):
Above is Hannah Wilke's S.O.S. Starification Object Series. This is a series of photographs of herself. Like many of the art pieces within Womenhouse (such as the Detail of Linen Closet by Sandra Org), this is feminist art, in which Hannah Wilke covered herself with little pieces of chewing gum, and posed differently for each picture. Beneath the photographs is a line up of more pieces of chewing gum, each supposed to represent the vulva. In this way, Hannah could be playing with the idea that women are reduced to their reproductive organs, no matter which way they pose.
And here is the "Womenhouse Catalogue Essay" by Judy Chicago and Miriam Shapiro, who co-directed the feminist art program: http://www.womanhouse.net/statement. This is a rather amusing, engaging article. In it, Chicago and Shapiro describe how it wasn't just the final product and ideas behind Womenhouse that contributed to helping feminism; but the process and how it invigorated the women behind it, too. For instance, the prospect of house hunting, and then having to figure out how to use chainsaws and tools and whatnot to remodel the house somewhat to prepare it for the art and performances that would take place in it was rather intimidating at first. Yet, the co-directors kept on reminding their female students that they were allowed to use chainsaws, too (what with rebuilding houses being a male-dominated activity). As they built, the students than had to saw and hammer and dust while being thwarted by the neighbor of the soon-to-be Womenhouse in California, who confused them for long-haired hippies and commented on how none of them were wearing bras.
Around the same website one can find information on the performance pieces that took place inside the house. One involves Faith Wilding's "Waiting", in which she sits one of the rooms in Womenhouse and recites her poem about how women essentially spend their lives having to rely on other people, and waiting for things to happen.
Here is where you can read her full poem: http://faithwilding.refugia.net/waitingpoem.pdf
Hannah Wilke's S.O.S. Starification Object Series (1974-82):
Above is Hannah Wilke's S.O.S. Starification Object Series. This is a series of photographs of herself. Like many of the art pieces within Womenhouse (such as the Detail of Linen Closet by Sandra Org), this is feminist art, in which Hannah Wilke covered herself with little pieces of chewing gum, and posed differently for each picture. Beneath the photographs is a line up of more pieces of chewing gum, each supposed to represent the vulva. In this way, Hannah could be playing with the idea that women are reduced to their reproductive organs, no matter which way they pose.
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