Project #1

Feminism and art have differing meanings to most individuals. It is common to make assumptions about feminists or the term ‘feminism’ in general as well as art since art can be easily misinterpreted as well. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines feminism as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes” and art as ‘works produced by the conscious use of skill and creative imagination.’ Feminism to me has always been about the thought of women promoting women. Art, on the other hand, has a broader image in my mind, including any work that was produced by someone or something. In visiting the museums for this project, I found there was more to these words than what one may first think. The assumptions I made were at times upheld and at other times proved wrong.
The first museum my group went to was the National Museum of the American Indian. The main exhibit, “Identity by Design” was definitely feminist. It was entirely about women, the dresses they produced and wore and their traditions. Art by women had a significant place in this particular museum. Each dress was a work of art and represented the rich culture and tradition of its women makers. This was art because the definition of art states that it is a work produced by skill and creativity, which describes the dresses since they were made with the skill and creativity of the women. Since that the dresses were primarily produced and worn by women, the art of the exhibit was even more feminist. Feminism advocates for equal rights of women so therefore this exhibit is feminist because it shows the woman’s role in the American Indian society and how important and talented they were. One part of the display description talked about how women were only allowed to dance in a circle around men. Then the War Bonnet Society produced a dance, which was a form of feminism because it promoted the cause of liberation for the native women. The purpose of this exhibit was to show the importance of women in the American Indian culture and to share the beauty of their designs. I assumed that the native dresses would be simple and plain because of the limited resources I thought these people had. However, I was incredibly impressed by the complex designs and accentuating touches of each individual dress. I assumed that making dresses was just a necessity of life because the people needed clothes to wear. Through the exhibit’s descriptions I learned that it is a true accomplishment to finish a dress because of the time and effort women put into each one. According to Vanessa Jenning (Kiowa), “It is a woman’s responsibility to dress and dance to honor him.” This shows that women were expected in the American Indian society to respect men at all times. I assumed that women were not as important as men in the native culture since men were the chiefs and such of villages and tribes. Although women are expected to please and honor men in this society, my assumption is not entirely correct. Through the pieces and descriptions in the exhibit, visitors could see that women were indeed respected as people but their roles were more defined than today. I also assumed that the American Indians would not celebrate American/Christian holidays because the American government kept them in confinement camps. However, in the exhibit I saw how important the colors of red, white and blue were in the making of dresses and also how the American flag was often incorporated in various dresses. I was equally surprised that women were not kept away from knowledge of war and battles. I assumed their only place was to do house work and make dresses. Therefore, I found it very interesting that the women showed their honor of their family by wearing warrior dresses in which battles were depicted as the design of the dress. I assumed women would always be fully clothed and would not show any parts of their skin. This was basically true in that leggings and moccasins were normally worn to promote modesty. However, dresses often showed arms and some of the neck so that was more skin than I assumed to see. Dresses had multiple purposes including enhancing dances and prayers, showing emotions and promoting personal identity. I assumed dresses were not significant besides to cover the woman. Instead, they can have several meanings and even publicly acknowledge a family’s valor during victory dances or acknowledge the age or societal standings of the woman wearing it. Overall, I learned a great deal not just about women but also about the American Indian culture.
The next museum was the Hirshhorn Art Museum. I assumed all of the artwork would be detailed, interesting, abstract and complex. I also assumed that there would be nothing feminist in the museum. For the most part, my assumptions were proved wrong. I assume art to be anything that is created by something else. However, when I think about artwork in an art museum, I think of beautiful paintings and sculptures, which is not what I found in Hirshhorn’s exhibit. Ellsworth Kelly, the exhibit’s artist, had very simple, boring paintings. One was called Red, Yellow, Blue, another Blue/Black and yet another called Black Curve. They were all similarly plain and not at all what I expected. I assumed an exhibit would show the most amazing designs but all of this artist’s works were what I considered first-grade like. Although the pieces were pleasant, they were just so primary. They included the primary colors only with basic lines, shapes and patterns. However it was widely recognized for simple fundamental beauty. Although I define art as anything created, my expectations and assumptions that I assumed I would find in an art museum were wrong. I assumed I would see eye-opening masterpieces. Instead, I found simple colors thrown together and I could not believe they were actually considered art. After awhile of looking at the same artwork, I realized how much I appreciated the simplicity. My assumptions and even my first impressions were wrong. The pureness became beautiful to me and I ended up enjoying what Hirshhorn chose to exhibit. Despite the main focus on art, I found women and feminism to be a part of a different area of the museum. There were two paintings, both what I would consider art. They were created by two different men but yet perceived women in completely different ways. The one was bright and showed two women with blonde hair, blue eye shadow and illuminating skin, filled with pleasure. It perceives the one woman in a sexual fantasy, which describes this artist’s views about women. The other picture was dreary and dark with an interpretation that women are vague, mysterious and dull. I found it ironic that these two paintings were displayed next to each other. The contrast was extreme and it gave two extremely different male visions of women. Overall, this museum is not feminist since it does not promote women artists or women in the artwork and feminism is about equal rights for both sexes, therefore the museum does not meet this definition of feminism in the way that it had primarily male artists and did not discuss women’s rights in the artwork or through other discussion boards.
The Museum of African Art and the works it held inside dealt with women and the one exhibit that we paid particular attention to were feminist. Feminism has to do with equality of the sexes and this was shown through the exhibit in various ways. Most female figures looked like males, which shows that there is not a significant difference between men and women. A sign about a specific female sculpture read, “Her gesture suggests the nurturing role of women,” therefore exemplifying the societal standards set for women and the importance women had in their society. All women sculpted were shown with a child, pregnant or doing work with something on their head, showing their capability to be an asset to their culture and society. I assumed there would be a lot about slavery but then I realized that would pertain more to African Americans, not really Africans. All of the sculptures of naked, pregnant women showed that there is an importance of a motherly role in the African culture. I assumed that the African culture was close-knit and that women were important. From the great number of sculptures and the way women were displayed, I would still make the same assumption. There were a lot of masks in this particular museum. They are art because they were carved with the time and creativity of each creator and also demonstrate an important part of the African culture. I assumed the African art would be colorful and bright but most of the sculptures were wood and only carved. In general, it can be determined that the Museum of African Art can be considered feminist because feminism deals with the equality of men and women and in this museum, there was little difference between the men and women sculpted, therefore the artwork supports the definition of feminism.
The last museum we visited was the Women and the Arts. I have always assumed that feminism is about being against the male race and only promoting women. From this museum I can infer that feminism has to do with promoting women more than promoting the equality of the sexes. Men were not shown favorably in any of the artwork I saw. Many pictures portrayed men as animals instead of humans. This museum is feminist since it shows women as strong individuals and feminism is about men and women having equal rights and beings considered equal, therefore it meets this definition of feminism in the way that women are shown as having just as much power. In Paula Rego’s exhibit it was often hard to distinguish between men and female characters, another feminist attribute. I assumed there would be naked, naturally beautiful women. I also assumed there would only be women in the artwork. Although there were naked women, they were not beautiful and men were shown in pictures along with the women. I assumed women would be shown favorably at all costs and that the pictures would be graceful, pretty and bright. Instead, many women looked manly and rough. I assumed feminists were anti-abortion. Later, I realized this would contradict being for equal rights. However, when I saw Paula Rego’s “Abortion Series,” I was so taken back and confused. I did not understand why she would promote performing an illegal abortion. I assumed if she were for women’s rights, she would be for unborn children’s rights as well. The second exhibit proved most of my assumptions correct. The pictures were of beautiful women, traditional pictures of women such as cheerleader, bride, old tribal woman. A lot of paintings were pink and fun. This is what I assumed would be in a feminist museum, lots of pretty, feminine pictures. I found this museum’s varying exhibits to be feminist because feminism stands for equality of men and women and women were shown to be strong, self-sustainable individuals in the artwork, therefore upholding the definition.
This project taught me a lot about feminism, art and myself in general. I was naive to the art world and even to the term ‘feminism.’ My assumptions were broad and surprising to even myself. I did not know what to expect from a museum focused on women or on American Indian or African art either. Most of the assumptions I made were generalizations that I may have had from childhood. Overall, it was a fun experience for my group and I was glad that I experienced the Washington, D.C museums for the first time with such a strong purpose.