Katherine Arentsen

Womanhouse was orchestrated by artists Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro in the early 1970s, and opened in 1972. The work of Judy Chicago often focused on the acknowledgement and appreciation of significant female historical figures and their accomplishments that were frequently overlooked. Miriam Schapiro similarly sought to introduce mediums that were typically seen as “feminine” to the realm of fine art. Both artists wanted to portray many of women’s shared experiences through art, as well as amplify the representation of female artists through the feminist art movement. Chicago, Schapiro, and twenty-one other women artists took it upon themselves to completely renovate the old, abandoned structure that would become Womanhouse, and establish it as a space of their own. It not only served as a work of art itself, but temporarily served as a place to host various pieces of art by the group of female art students. This installation provided space for interior installations, performances, and many other forms of art created for self-expression, the exploration of women’s issues, and criticism of the traditional gender roles being upheld during the time period, especially those related to domesticity.

    My name is Katherine and I am pursuing my bachelors in psychology, as well as dual certification to teach elementary and special education. I learned about Womanhouse in an art class I took last semester, and found the story behind it and the individual stories of the women behind it to be very inspiring. I was inspired when I learned how this small group of women restored the old house by themselves just so they could shape a space that gave them the opportunity to freely express themselves and their views through art. I found these women to be brave for vocally spreading awareness about women’s issues and openly denouncing the traditional female roles often assigned to them. I also thought they were brave for sharing their personal art surrounding these issues and topics of feminism with an overly critical public eye. Additionally, I found it inspiring how Chicago and Schapiro further used this space to educate others about art created by women from the past and the present and the unique elements they incorporated into their work, especially as art was a largely male-dominated field that often prevented the growth of women artists and availability of their work.