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Feminist Art is an art movement aimed at alerting the world of women's significant contributions to the artistic world and a backlash against the canonical ways of art largely defined by men. For a long time in history, men played a main role in society by holding professions and leadership positions, while women remained behind the scenes as mothers, household workers, and caregivers--positions erroneously esteemed as inferior in patriarchal societies. This was true in the artistic world as well. Famous art exhibits showcased mostly works by male artists and very few, if any, works by female artists. In the late 1960s, however, the feminist art movement gained momentum as key female characters took action to promote gender equality and justice in the world of art. They intended to show that women had just as much talent (and right) as men in the artistic world.

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In the mid-1900s, Yoko Ono, an influential conceptual and performance artist, and wife of the Beatles singer-songwriter John Lennon, challenged people to erase distinctions among individuals. One of her famous performance pieces was Bagism. In this demonstration, she and her husband put a giant bag around themselves so they could not be seen (or judged) by their skin, gender, or appearance. Bagism was intended to eliminate prejudice concerning differences between individuals. This notion of accepting others and overlooking differences became more and more important throughout the 20th century. While not a direct feminist art, Bagism sparked a movement of artists that would help fight the prejudice against the female gender.

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Judy Chicago, Menstruation Bathroom, 1972

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Judy Gerowitz (self-named "Judy Chicago") was a pioneer in feminist art. As a talented woman with a bright mind, she was continually on the lookout for her fellow female artists. She was keenly aware of how her gender has been underrepresented and overlooked in the population. She initiated a feminist studio art course at Fresno State College in California. Shortly after, she introduced the feminist art program at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia.

The infamous Womanhouse was the result of the feminist momentum created by Chicago and her collaborates. They found a house in the Hollywood area and refurbished it with different aspects of a woman's life such as breast-shaped eggs in The Kitchen, or waste products of menstruation in Menstruation Bathroom. Womanhouse was opened only to females on the first day, then subsequently opened to the general audience. This exotic art project would become a symbol for the feminist art movement.

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One of Chicago's most famous works was The Dinner Party, a tribute to all the influential women who came before. This art piece contained distinct plates and silverware for each invited female "guest," with 999 names written in gold all around. The result of five years of labor by more than 400 people, The Dinner Party shows the extent of women influence throughout history and how much they can accomplish together.

The Dinner Party brought another unique perspective. The artwork on many of the plates were shaped to represent female genitalia or other anatomical parts. While some received it well and others not so much, this challenged the line between pornography and art. Can something inappropriate be beautiful? Are there objective views on pornography versus art?

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Judy Chicago's feminist concept was not readily accepted after she exhibited her works. In fact, several events backlashed with anti-feminist actions--In 1981, London held an exhibition that included no women artists. A 1982 Berlin exhibition did similarly and included only one woman artist. Despite the ongoing opposition, groups of women continued to fight against this injustice. In an effort to make themselves known, anonymous artist activists formed a group called Guerrilla Girls. As the self-proclaimed "conscience of the art world," this group of powerful, outspoken women would wear gorilla masks and mount posters on buildings or other public spaces; posters that used disruptive headlines, outrageous visuals, and killer statistics to expose injustice against female artists.

Today, Guerrilla Girls is still an active organization, and they have expanded their reach to  tackling gender and ethnic bias and corruption in art, film, politics, and pop culture. Their motto: Do one thing. If it works, do another. If it doesn't do another anyway. Keep chipping away!

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Guerrilla Girls, When Racism & Sexism Are No Longer Fashionable, What Will Your Art Collection Be Worth? 1989

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When Racism & Sexism Are No Longer Fashionable

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When Racism & Sexism Are No Longer Fashionable

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This was an iconic example of published by Guerrilla Girls. Entitled "When Racism & Sexism Are No Longer Fashionable, What Will Your Art Collection Be Worth?" this poster utilizes sarcasm to call attention to the difference in price tags on works by women and men. We learned in class that most of the women artists listed here were as talented as their male counterparts, but because of societal influences and the male-dominated tradition in the art world, they were not duly recognized. Yet, even this poster doesn't do justice for all the other talented females whose names are not represented here. Imagine how much more beautiful and diverse the art world would be if female artists were acknowledged from the beginning.

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Guerrilla Girls, Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Met. Museum? 1989, 2012

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This is a 2012 updated version of the original 1989 poster. When asked to design a billboard for the Public Art Fund in New York, the Guerrilla Girls took the opportunity to awaken their audience. They went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to count the number of women artists on exhibit compared to the number of naked female bodies in the art works. As predicted, the percentage of female nudes far exceeded the number of female artists in the exhibit. This shows the disparity between the roles of a man and a woman in the art world--one is revered as an artist, while the other is objectified.

The Public Art Fund ended up rejecting it as a billboard, so the Guerrilla Girls ran it as an ad on public transportation throughout New York City. While the Public Art Fund claimed it wasn't "clear enough," the message got through quite clearly.

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Another powerful female figure came in the late 1900s. Shirin Neshat was originally born in Iraq before leaving to study art in Los Angeles in 1974. During her time away, Iraq had adopted an Islamic rule in the country, which included laws dictating women to wear chador. Neshat's artwork largely revolves around depicting the experience of a woman in a male-dominated society.

In one of her famous photographs entitled On Guard, Neshat captured a part of the woman's body that was not covered: the hands. She then inscribed Farsi poetry on the hand meant to convey the message of strength and resistance to the male dominance in Iraq. You can cover up a woman's body, but you cannot hide their cry for justice.