Recently the Canadian art magazine "C" invited me to discuss feminism in their "All Manifestos" issue.  This project got me thinking about the stakes of feminism and the arts today.  On the one hand, feminism has permeated all ways of making and analyzing art, just as gender and queer studies have transformed academic thinking.  The days when women struggled to be taken seriously in the arts – or any other field – are gone. It's easy think of successful female artists – from canonical figures like Eva Hesse, who is the subject of a major retrospective at the San Francisco MOMA, to contemporary icons like Cindy Sherman, to younger stars like McArthur "Genius Award" recipient Kara Walker.  Women direct some of the world's leading art institutions and galleries, and teach at preeminent universities and art schools.

At the same time, the arts press rarely foregrounds feminist issues, museums hardly ever present feminist shows, female artists' prices are notoriously lower than men's, and the ratios of women to men in exhibitions and museum collections is very low (and for artists of color even lower).  So perhaps the myth of gender equity in the arts is exactly that.

The evidence of art world sexism is plentiful (see brainstormers.com  and guerrillagirls.com, for example), but I am more interested in what contemporary artists feel about feminism's current relevance.  Do younger artists reject feminism?  Or express their gender politics in terms different from those of previous generations?   Aside from age, what other factors  – like class, location, level of success, and access to female role models – affect women's views of feminism? Why might an artist – even when tackling gender-specific themes in her work – feel uncomfortable calling her work feminist?

To probe some of these questions I very geekily devised a questionnaire about this theme and sent it to about twenty-five female artists, ranging in ages from 21—65.  Surprisingly, while most women identified as feminists, few identified as feminist artists.  Many discussed the gendered aspects of their work, and its reception in the art world, while denying that they made feminist art.  Their association of feminism with an older generation prompted several artists to ask whether the category should be rethought … if not abandoned.

1. Are You a feminist?

To my first question, almost all agreed.  However, several felt that the term itself was vague, or, as London artist Lucy Kimbell put it, "Yes I am, but I couldn't define this clearly." However Prema Murthy, an artist in her thirties in New York, wasn't convinced: 

At one point I would say I was, but now, I feel the term is too limiting.  Feminism has fractured into so many different meanings for woman from different experiences or who grew up in different "waves" that I don't really find it useful anymore.  The term connotes a limited, fundamentalist way of being that is still has a hard time addressing women's pleasure for one thing and still does not really address women in relation to class and race. I find that I am debating with other women more about what a "proper" feminist should be rather than using the term as a starting point to build, accept and create new ways of expressing who one is.

2. Are You a Feminist Artist?

For some this was a no-brainer:  "Yes!" wrote Atlanta thirty-something artist and educator Julie Püttgen:

I consider myself a feminist eater of avocadoes, a feminist teacher, a feminist wearer of pink Pumas, a feminist editor of Ratsalad DeLuxe, and also of course a feminist artist.  All are part of the same continuous project of living a life with awareness. I don't believe it's possible for me to be aware of my human interactions without also being aware of how I process race, class and gender, or how I trigger other people's processing of these things.

But most respondents did not want to associate their work so closely with any political or theoretical category, feminism included. Laura Parnes, a Brooklyn artist in her mid thirties, worried: "the minute you define your art in those terms people dismiss it as something they have seen before. They make assumptions that are usually incorrect."

While noting feminism's influence, Brooklyn-based Rachel Lowther commented:

The difficulty with this label is the desire for one's work to transcend a socio-political issue. The realities of the (art)world make it hard, if not impossible, to avoid, but what drove me to become an artist, and what motivates me as an artist is disconnected from habitual reality and connected to something much more intangible, mysterious and complex.  And I don't want my work to be defined in opposition: I want it to be affirmative.

Twenty-three old Ellen Black, who recently graduated from Georgia State University, was also uncomfortable with making art for a specific cause, "expecting and hoping to catalyze a certain result or change."

While not identifying as feminist artists, most respondents recognized feminism's influence on their art and their lives. While declaring "Feminism is a humanist, political stance and if my art practice were to be a feminist practice it would only be concerned with this project," Kimbell added:

However I would say that my feminism informs my practice as it does how I live my life, and is more visible in some projects than others … I belong to a bimonthly seminar group with three other women artists. Although we have never had a discussion that I would label formally feminist, as active, thoughtful women in our thirties and forties who are concerned about art and social processes, feminism necessarily informs the discussion.

Also acknowledging gender's importance, Cindy Loehr, currently based in Milwaukee, noted:

Being a woman informs my work just as any other life experience would, but I deliberately try to complicate the "gender" of the work. My choice of materials and do-it-yourself fabrication techniques, as well as my investigations of emotion, all could be read as traditionally "female."  But the monumental scale of the work, and my directorial role in my collaborative relationships, both could be read as traditionally "male."  I guess I like to keep a foot in both sides of the traditional male/female divide so that the work isn't so easily categorized.

Several artists saw feminism as a critical tool, a way of approaching and critiquing culture, rather than something that could be identified in their work's content.  Ruth Dusseault, a photographer in her early forties who teaches architecture students at Georgia Tech, wrote:

I examine the utopian architects (all male), those early 20th century egos who proposed entire cities of their own design to be built in the middle of nowhere –Le Corbusier’s Radiant City, Norman Bel Geddes’ Futurama, Victor Gruen’s Epcot City and Hugh Ferris’ drawings of the Metropolis of Tomorrow, and so on.  This omnipotent control, this assumption of power, is foreign to me partly because I am female.   It is a recurring fascination and a wellspring of artistic ideas, as well as a focused way of looking at one of the forces behind modernity.

Imi Hwangbo, an artist and professor in Athens, Georgia, also spoke of her work's implicit, if elusive, feminism:

My work evokes the history of Korean wrapping cloths, which were created by anonymous (and probably illiterate) women with few other outlets for their creativity. The feminism in my work acts an underlying critique of elements of this culture … I am inspired by Rebecca Horn's performances of the early 'seventies about the creation of elaborate prostheses to help negotiate a possibly hostile environment. The power of vulnerability is one of many profound contradictions in this work.

For Barbara Campbell, a thirty-one year old painter and professor in Greensboro, NC, "the fact that I am a feminist is significant to my life and consequently to my art.  I contend with the perennial balancing act between my roles as artist, mother, teacher, and wife, and so on."

But although several others the act of dedicating themselves to an art career was a feminist statement, Murthy was not convinced, asking pertinently, "As I am a woman, I can't really help but speak though a woman's voice in my art which in turn creates visibility, so does that make my work feminist?"

3. Do Female Artists Face Particular Obstacles/Prejudices Because of Their Gender?

With one exception, everyone agreed. Laura Parnes summed it up:

Art made by woman is just considered less valuable. Why does John Currin get a retrospective at the Whitney before his 40 birthday while Joan Jonas's is at the Queens Museum? Why are there so few woman in "Art and the Video Game" at PaceWildenstein when so many woman make digital art?  Meanwhile, Lynn Hershman Lesson's underfunded, extremely minimal retrospective is held at a tiny space called Artbytes. There is no way to explain these discrepancies logically.

Kimbell observed:

As with other fields of human activity — women have to work harder to get where they are. Think of the example of artist residencies/bursaries that don't provide for childcare etc making it difficult for any parent (usually a woman) to do a project.

Rachel Lowther spoke of "consistently being looked over in favor of male artists. I have had people tell me that my work is not mine repeatedly (even while I am telling them it is) and ask who the artist is or even suggest who the artist might be (always a man)," and of the unwanted sexual advances that women artists face:

I've had a successful dealer offer to sell my work, give me his card and then feel my arse and ask if I have a "little gallery in Brooklyn". A famous gallery was interested in my work until I realized the dinner meeting I went to was a date. (I still don't have a dealer/gallery.)

Twenty-seven year old painter, Yun Bai, who lives in LA, recounted similar experiences.  "I have been told, 'Yun, I will buy your painting if you go on a date with me'.....or 'I'll pay your rent for the next year for a quick fuck' and 'If you want to be in this show, you'll have to...'" advances which she declined.

Thirty five year old sculptor Bo Zhang, who has returned to China after receiving her MFA in Atlanta, remarked: "Even though in the 90's feminist art in China made headway and today there are several great female artists who get national and international recognition, the art world is still dominated by male artists who think there are no great female artists in China and that their works are weak."

Noting how gender-based value judgments are routinely applied to women's art work, Parnes feared that "art created by woman is seen as subjective whereas men are automatically in a position of authority. Therefore, men comment on the world at large whereas we can only comment on ourselves."   Similiarly, thirty-year-old Kathryn Refi, who lives in Athens, GA, felt that "a female artist's work is considered/critiqued in conjunction with her personally and more weight is given to aspects of her character, appearance, temperament, professionalism, etc "

Loehr offered further anecdotal evidence:

I think there is still a glass ceiling in the art world, that can be broken, but is difficult to break.  Think about the term "genius" and how few women artists are described as such.  If women artists can't imagine the possibility of being respected as a genius, I think they have a more difficult time aspiring for that level of innovation in their work.

And Ellen Black recalled:

When speaking with male curators I often receive the advice to pursue children's illustration when asking for constructive feedback as if they cannot see past the delicate line and soft color to the sometimes frightening subject matter. Male artists are encouraged to break out of certain stereotypes and explore new areas of art, while female artists are often encouraged to comply with established techniques and careers.

Lowther felt that "Male artists are permitted to make 'bad' art that is nevertheless  'clever', deliberate or risk-taking."

Turning the discussion to academic careers for artists, Julie Püttgen wrote about the extensive efforts that her MFA faculty went to help a male student find a teaching job because he was the head of a family (with a working wife), noting that the same energy was not expended when she – a single woman—went on the academic job market the following year.  

Even after getting a good academic job, it's harder for a woman to have a family AND a career, because in general men are less likely to choose family to the detriment of their initial career goals.  Many highly educated women are willing to teach high school, or go into some other kind of occupation, in order to live where their partners are.  I think this is (perhaps rightly) much harder for a Master's or PhD-educated man to accept.

Cecelia Kane, an artist in her late fifties in Atlanta, commented on the ageism that accompanies sexism:

I feel it all the time as an older woman artist.  Women have less clout, but older women have even less. Why are the shows only for Young emerging artists? … When I took my MFA in my early fifties I was nurtured by my teachers and fellow students, but my boss in my graphic design day job threatened to fire me for taking time to attend class, despite my proposal to make up with alternate hours.

While recognizing the existence of sexual prejudice, for Dusseault social, economic, and regional issues complicated the picture:

For example, if I were earning my MFA at RISD, my midterm review would be attended by critics and curators from NY and Boston.  They would need ME, as they need to discover new talent in order to perpetuate their careers. Whereas because I was born in central Florida and educated in the south, it wasn’t until I reached my mid thirties that I could even attain an audience with such a person for fifteen minutes.  Even if they like my work, giving me an exhibition or review would have logistical problems and political obstacles. Of course I am generalizing for the sake of making a point.  This is not sour grapes; I consider myself lucky.  But I do have to think of myself differently, and keep reminding my self that my work is worthwhile.  You’ll find that to be the condition with all artists in the provinces.

4. Have things changed/improved/deteriorated in this respect since you started working? 

Respondents were divided on this question.  In general, those artists living in major art cities painted a bleaker picture than those in provincial locations where the stakes and competition are presumably lower.  To London's Kimbell:

Things are worse. People don't even bother raise issues of access (e.g. childcare support or visibility and representation (e.g. how many women or black artists are in a show?) these days. The wider public discussions of post-feminism and reported views of younger women that feminism is not relevant have made it difficult to keep the questions alive.

Lowther also suspected that women's positions in the art world had not improved, "but I think that I was overly optimistic when I started. Seeing women gaining success I assumed that the old barriers had gone and thought I could make it on my own merits and hard work."  

Murthy felt that "On the surface, the whole 'girl' power marketing thing has made women's work feel more visible but I'm not sure people are putting their economic support behind the trend."  

But Parnes had no doubt: "I've never seen it worse for woman than it is right now. According to Roberta Smith of the New York Times, 60% of art students are women, 15% show up in galleries. 4% of the art up at the MoMA is by women."

A few artists noticed signs of improvement.  Hwangbo felt that she had reaped some of the benefits of the multicultural and pro-women focus in the 'eighties that coincided with her emergence, to the point that "when I was invited to be in a show of three Korean women artists, I didn't feel it was necessary or helpful to be grouped in that way."

The veteran multi-media artist Carolee Schnemmann recently talked to me about the advice that galleries give to young women artists.

Dealers say: 'we want a bad girl, but don't say you are a feminist.'  They want the sexual radicalism, the explicit representation of the body, but feminism itself isn't considered cool.  When I talk to young women about feminism they say: 'I'm not a feminist; that's what my mother did.'  And I have to point out that their work is built on feminist investigation.

And even if progress had stalled, several artists commented that they coped better with the vagaries – and sexism—of the art world.  Brooklyn-based Traci Molloy acknowledged the importance of female mentors: " I can name at least seven older women who have supported me/offered me invaluable guidance over the last ten years." 

Püttgen wrote of the confidence that came from taken charge of her career: "As my own self-respect and feelings of power in the world have grown, I have had better experiences and been better able to respond when various flavors of bullshit do come up."

Marilee Keys, a Westerner who lives in the South in her fifties, expressed weariness with the terms of the debate.  "I have stopped caring so much and just try and do work that is strong and good".

5. Do Younger Women Reject Feminism?

Most respondents agreed that explicit feminist politics do not attract younger women. Refi suggested:

It's cliché, but I think there is still the perception that being a feminist means hating men or at least having too much body hair, not wearing make-up, and having a deep voice. I don't think feminism is really in most secondary schools. I'm fortunate in that I had strong female teachers talking about reproductive freedom in junior high and women's history in high school. Having self-described feminists as role models, identifying as a feminist for me was a much more comfortable than it is for many other young people.

Campbell feared that:

Young women have a pea-sized understanding of what feminism actually means, more about stereotypical societal perceptions of feminists than about a movement affirming the FULL reality of what it is to be a woman.  Consequently they do not fully grasp the fact that feminism was not always a given—there did once exist a time when women were not able to vote, own property, attend college, etc."  

Forty-year-old artist and educator Katherine Taylor, who lives in Atlanta, remarked:

I often encounter female art students who perceive feminism as a kind of social suicide, even when their work deals with power and identity. Our society rewards youth with privilege- these young women wrongly interpret that power as simply part of being a women. They believe to be a feminist means giving up traditional women's roles with which they identify without being aware that our society has become so inclusive because of feminism.

Dusseault felt that, while her architecture students spoke about being feminists,

I don’t think they have a real reference.  Several respond to the feminist artists that I present in class.  Every semester, at least one student will revisit themes of commercialization, beauty; women’s roles… dress up like Cindy Sherman, etc. They just want to band together as women, because they know that difficult times lie ahead for them.  There are still not a lot of female architects.  The 24-hour workday might be a factor.  Maybe they’re just smarter than men.

6. Feminism for the Weak?

Whereas Didi Dunphy in Athens, GA, saw "Feminist, happily, is a strong word" others felt that feminism was often seen as serving the weak.   Lowther remarked:

We live in an individualistic society in which ambitious young women believe they can succeed on their own. Feminism may seem like a crutch they don't want to use. Until you have come face to face with sexism and recognize it for what it is, it might be easy to think you don't need to be a feminist.

Responding to the idea that many younger women reject feminism, Kimbell pithily noted, "Ask them in twenty years."

Laura Parnes felt that the rise of the right has permeated everything:

Like the term liberal the right has turned feminist into a dirty word. As a professor I have noticed that sexism has become more and more acceptable.  Both male and female students feel perfectly comfortable mocking and deriding feminism and female artists in front of the class and in my presence. They also feel comfortable mocking other female professors. However, I'm hopeful that by the time they leave college they will discover how important feminism is. Young organizations like LTTR give me hope that the tides will turn.

Two artists in their twenties offered differing views.  Black felt:

Younger women are reluctant to identify themselves as feminists because it seems to be a dated word. The term was born when women were trying to attain a basic sense of equality. Now that women have more or less proven themselves and have become accepted in many areas once thought to be male-dominated the word has lost some urgency.

She also expressed discomfort with feminist assumptions that overlook women's differing views:

Modern arguments raised under the guise of feminism mostly concern reproductive rights.  This causes problems. While women might unite easily under a banner of equal opportunity, not all agree about issues of abortion, contraception, and maternity leave.  Some might feel uncomfortable with the assumption that they support pro-life legislation, despite the fact that they also support gender-based affirmative action in the workplace …Feminism can no longer be used as a blanket statement claiming to support the betterment of women. The fact is that "women" are not a homogenous group; the gender spans different racial, social and economic classes. While few would argue in favor of rescinding women's rights it is difficult to discern a new movement or idea that all women will find beneficial.

In contrast, Bai argued that younger women needed to confront the stereotype of the "monster that society has branded feminists to be.":

You become a feminist when you stand up for yourself, and for other women.  You become a feminist when you defend your daughter's rights, her choices, and well-being. You become a feminist when you give a stranger in the bathroom your spare tampon.  So by claiming "I am not a feminist, but..." women are saying "I believe in women's rights and practice it, but I don't want to admit to it because I am afraid of what ignorance will brand me to be.

7. Out with the Old?

Anticipating the responses that my survey generated, some artists suggested that feminism as a category and term needs rethinking.  "I think we need to come up with a new term for a new generation," Loehr argues.   "'Feminist' belongs so much to a certain time and politics that many younger people reject it out of hand."  Similarly, Toronto artist and musician GB Jones says that advocates "supporting women's rights" rather than promoting feminism, to refocus people on the struggle that women still face internationally without getting mired in academic theory.

8. Coming Soon … To A Museum Near You

Given feminism's shaky status in the art world (with the exception of Inside the Visible, curated by Catherine de Zegher in 1996, not a single major museum has surveyed international feminist art) the reception of two major feminist exhibitions opening next year with be exciting — and maybe nerve-racking— to watch. WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, at LA MOCA, and Global Feminisms, at the new Elizabeth E. Sackler Wing for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, seek to re-energize, and reframe, feminist artistic and curatorial practice. 

WACK! will be the first major exhibition to track the international women's art movement of the late 'sixties and 'seventies.  The show juxtaposes iconic work by figures like Mary Kelly, Adrian Piper, and Martha Rosler with that of artists rarely considered in this tradition.  It broadens feminism's geographical parameters by selecting 50% of its artists from outside the US, and expands feminism's formal range by including work that is implicitly, rather than explicitly, feminist.  Global Feminisms also seeks to stretch feminist aesthetics.  Even more than WACK!, it looks outside Western boundaries for artistic inspiration: over half its artists are from outside Euro-American countries, with strong selections from Asia, the Middle East, South America, former Eastern Europe, South America, and Australasia.  Unconcerned about whether artists identify specifically as feminists, the curators attend more to the gender insights in the art.

These exhibitions promise to emphasize feminist art's formal and intellectual sophistication, and continuing influence.  Perhaps they will suggest ways of thinking about women's art practice that avoid the F word's stigma.  Or – as I hope – the positive affects of such belated institutional attention might encourage more female artists to acknowledge the debt to feminism that I often see in their work.

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Thanks to Julie Püttgen for inviting me to present my findings, Charles Reeve for editorial counsel (and oh so much more), and all the artists who took the time to answer my geeky questionnaire.