Judy Chicago’s “The Dinner Party”, 1979, on display at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in New York, and exhibitions and galleries throughout the city this summer are celebrating the achievements and creations of women throughout history. From experimental sculptures to 19th century clothing, these exhibits explore the evolution of feminism and strides women took to be heard during times of oppression while also putting a spotlight on the artistic expression of the modern woman. Celebrate women and suffrage in New York with these spots that are just a subway (or ferry) ride away.
1. The Battle for the Ballot: The Centennial of Women’s Suffrage in New York on Governors Island
At “The Battle for the Ballot”, a display on The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions from the Seneca Falls Convention.
The Battle for the Ballot is a teen-curated satellite exhibition of the New-York Historical Society at Nolan’s Park House 18 on Governors Island. The exhibition stretches from the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention to the Women’s March on Washington and features interactive elements such as a soap box photo-op, children’s coloring table, and a chalk board asking “What is feminism to you?”. Learn about the most influential women in American history, from Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony to Margaret Sanger, as well as which female history-maker the teen curators would follow on Twitter. The exhibition runs every Saturday and Sunday through October 1.
“What is feminism to you?” chalkboard prompt at “Battle for the Ballot” on Governors Island.
2. Fragmented Imaginaries: A.I.R. Summer Residency on Governors Island
Sarah Anderson’s “Part Object II (Eye)”, 2017, at “Fragmented Imaginaries” part of the A.I.R. Summer Residency at Governors Island.
Also at Nolan’s Park on Governor’s Island is Fragmented Imaginaries. This exhibition features the work of five women, Sarah Anderson, Rachel Guardiola, Emily Oliveira, Macon Reed, and Victoria-idongesit Undonian, the first round of artists for the 2017 A.I.R. Summer Residency at Governors Island. A minimalist presentation on paint-chipped walls, this exhibition’s pieces work to “express the slippage between fact and fiction, and the past, present, and future” using sculpture, video performance, embroidery, and painting. The exhibition is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at Nolan’s Park House 4A on Governors Island through August 6.
3. We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965-85 and The Dinner Party at the Brooklyn Museum
“We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women 1965-85” at the Brooklyn Museum.
We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965-85, on display at the Brooklyn Museum, features the works of more than forty artists reacting to a time of social unrest. From Black Power and Civil Rights movements in the 1960s to the second-wave Feminist Movement in the 1970s, these experimental and traditional pieces worked to combat oppression faced by these women both in the world of art and society at large. The exhibit was curated by Catherine Morris and Rujeko Hockley and continues through September 17.
Judy Chicago’s “The Dinner Party”, 1979, on display at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum.
Also permanently on display at the Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art is Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party. The triangular table, forty-eight feet on each side, is home to a banquet celebrating 1,038 female figures–both real and mythical–many of whom had been forgotten from history. The Dinner Party, which took Chicago five years to complete, features 39 personalized place settings and embroidered runners, along with 999 names inscribed on the floor. Roots of “The Dinner Party”: History in the Making, an exhibition which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of The Dinner Party, opens on October 20.
4. Making Space: Woman Artists and Postwar Abstraction at the Museum of Modern Art
Foreground: Feliza Bursztyn’s “Untitled” from the series “Hysterics,” 1967. Background: “Untitled” by Atsuko Tanaka, 1956 at the MOMA.
Now through August 13, the Museum of Modern Art presents Making Space: Woman Artists and Postwar Abstraction, highlighting the female focus on abstract art following World War II. The exhibition’s collection spans from 1945 to the late 1960s, before the start of the Feminist Movement in 1968. Influenced by the trauma of the war, these artists experimented with fresh shapes and textures while also working with traditionally feminine conventions. Curated by Starr Figura and Sarah Hermanson Meister, the exhibition features more than 50 artists and pieces ranging from ceramics and sculptures to paintings and photographs.
5. Saving Washington and The Billie Jean King Archive at the Center for Women’s History at the New-York Historical Society
Dress belonging to Dolley Madison at the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery at the New-York Historical Society.
The New-York Historical Society’s Center for Women’s History features several temporary exhibitions and permanent installations to celebrate the contributions women have made to the nation even before they were given the right to vote. The Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery’s very first exhibition, Saving Washington, puts a spotlight on the women of the early republic. Of particular importance is Dolley Madison, who saved the portrait of George Washington during the burning of the White House in 1814. The exhibition is curated by Sarah Gordon, Jeanne Gutierrez, Sarah Litvin, Laura Mogulescu, Valerie Paley, and Alisa Wade, and features documents, clothing, jewelry, and interactive installations.
The Billie Jean King Archive at the Center for Women’s History at the New-York Historical Society.
Also on display at the Center for Women’s History is The Billie Jean King Archive, which features items donated by the tennis champion and activist in 2016, including clothing, rackets, and images accumulated over her life of advocating for equal rights for women on and off the tennis court. Included in the installation is the New York Daily News front page reporting her famous win over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973.
