March 22–29, 2001
critic pick| art
Judy Chicago
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"The Banality of Evil" |
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Art for art’s sake has kept thousands of artists happy for centuries. Just not Judy Chicago. Beginning with the formation of the Feminist Art Program at CalArts with fellow artist Miriam Schapiro, she’s wanted nothing less than social change. Take "Womanhouse," a work of installation/performance art symbolizing women’s captivity in an average home. It was on view for only a month in 1971, yet over 10,000 people saw, among other things, "duration" events like a woman ironing for hours and hours, and its "Menstruation Bathroom," a lavatory gleaming porcelain white but for a trashcan overflowing with "used" tampons. Or "The Dinner Party," the important 1972 installation that gave places at the table to undervalued women throughout history, from the "Primordial Goddess" to Sappho to 14th-century poet Christine de Pisan. And her more recent collaborative work reflecting on the Holocaust, with its woven tapestries, photography and silkscreens, is not simply a memorial but a testimony in color and light and vision. Next week at the Penn Humanities Forum, hear what Chicago has to say about her work, and what has changed for women, art and society since she began her career.
"The Style of Judy Chicago," Tue., March 27, 5-6:30 p.m., Meyerson Hall, 34th and Walnut Sts., 215-898-8220.
