In the 1960s, a group of women artists came together to form W.A.R. (Women Artists in Revolution), a coalition created in response to the widespread marginalization and devaluation of art created by women. During this era, many women found it difficult to even name three notable female artists, highlighting how overlooked their contributions were within the dominant art scene. This movement surged in the wake of a turbulent social climate—just a year after the Summer of Love in 1968—when America was still embroiled in the Vietnam War, and various civil rights, Black Power, and free speech protests were simmering beneath the surface. The Women's Liberation movement was beginning its rise, aiming to challenge norms and demand recognition for women's voices in all spheres, including art.
One key figure during this time was Lynn Hershman, who was a student at Berkeley. Driven by a desire to document her experiences, she borrowed a camera and captured moments that reflected the social upheavals around her. Her work intersected art and activism when she documented a feminist protest at the 1968 Miss American Pageant, where feminists paraded a foul-smelling vapor near the runway—an act symbolizing resistance to beauty standards imposed on women. Hershman's belief that art and politics were becoming inseparable was reinforced through her participation in a weeklong series of protests against the Vietnam War, where artists sought to use their craft not just for aesthetic purposes but as a means of social change.
During this period, Judy Chicago, formerly Judy Cohen-Gerowitz, was inspired by the Black Panthers and the struggles for racial and gender equality. Like many women artists of her time, she felt isolated in a field dominated by white male figures. The art world was largely silent on pressing political issues, and minimalism—the dominant trend—focused on purity and form, often stripping away politics and context in favor of pure aesthetics. Barbara Hammer and other women artists began to push back against this aesthetic impasse, advocating for art that reflected their realities.
The social unrest of the late 1960s and early 1970s—marked by incidents like the Kent State shootings and Nixon’s escalation of the Vietnam War—sparked a more confrontational approach among artists. Performance art became a powerful vehicle for activism, as seen in Adrien Piper’s increasingly urgent and direct works. Meanwhile, Howard Fox recounted how white artists withdrew their works from prestigious shows in protest of exclusionary practices, leading to contentious debates about representation. Feminist artists responded by organizing their own exhibitions and establishing new spaces, such as A.I.R. Gallery, the first cooperative gallery dedicated to women’s art, located in Soho.
Throughout this movement, feminism challenged the longstanding objectification and stereotypical portrayals of women in media and art. Performance art was instrumental in this endeavor, allowing women artists to use their bodies as tools to express critique, anger, and their identities. Artists like Eleanor Antin and Carolee Schneemann used body art and provocative performances to confront societal expectations and express female sexuality and vulnerability. For example, Antin presented 184 nude photographs of herself, boldly rejecting conventional standards of beauty, while Martha Rosler critiqued how women were measured against imposed ideals.
The feminist movement also birthed iconic works, most notably Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, an art installation honoring women of achievement through 39 place settings. Its opening in San Francisco in 1979 symbolized a celebration of women's history and collective identity, blending poetry, performance, and collaboration. Women also took to the streets, displaying art in storefronts and organizing protests to draw media attention on issues like rape, violence, and inequality. Artists like Suzanne Lacy utilized public art to combat societal apathy and promote activism.
However, the movement faced setbacks in the 1980s, with the election of Ronald Reagan and the rejection of gender equality initiatives. Major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, proved resistant, often excluding women and people of color. In response, groups like the Guerilla Girls adopted humor and anonymity—wearing gorilla masks—to protest ongoing exclusion and discrimination within the art world, producing reports and exposing the disparity. Marcia Tucker, a pioneering curator, made attempts to influence institutional change as the first woman curator at the Whitney Museum, but faced significant barriers and was ultimately dismissed.
Feminist artists used their work and platforms to confront sexism head-on. Displaying their bodies in bold, provocative performances, they challenged traditional notions of femininity and power. Eleanor Antin, for instance, created works featuring her own body, while Ana Mendieta used earth art, blood, and performance to explore violence and female vulnerability. One of Mendieta’s most tragic stories was her death—falling from a window at the hands of her husband, Carl Andre, a minimalist sculptor who faced widespread controversy and neglect from the art community afterward. Artists also questioned how media perpetuated idealized images of women, often ignoring the complex realities of female identities.
Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party and Lynn Hershman’s experimental media works helped redefine feminist art, emphasizing collaboration, history, and empowerment. Chicago’s masterpiece, showcasing women of achievement from Western civilization, was an emblem of collective female history, celebrated with poetry and performance at its debut. Meanwhile, Hershman's innovative art often involved personal diaries and fictional narratives, exploring alienation, identity, and the unconscious.
Despite setbacks, the movement laid the groundwork for greater visibility and recognition of women artists today. Exhibitions like WACK! and institutions such as the Women’s Action Coalition worked tirelessly to document, preserve, and promote feminist art. Over the decades, feminism's influence has persisted, though many contemporary women artists see their connection to the movement as both empowering and limiting, reflecting ongoing debates about feminism’s role within the art world.
Lynn Hershman emphasizes that the history captured in her documentary is just a fragment of the broader story—much remains undocumented and unexplored. The movement successfully challenged long-standing biases and opened doors for future generations. The achievements of pioneers like Judy Chicago, Barbara Hammer, and Eleanor Antin laid a foundation that continues to support women's expanding opportunities in art. Today, museums and galleries are gradually becoming more inclusive, and feminist principles still resonate, inspiring artists to push boundaries and redefine what women’s art can be.
This documentary highlights that the struggles, protests, and innovations of the feminist art movement leave an enduring legacy—marking a decisive shift toward equality and recognition in the cultural landscape.
