Art/Women/California, 1950–2000: Parallels and Intersections

by Whitney Chadwick (Contributor), Rosa Linda Fregoso (Contributor), Jennifer Gonzalez (Contributor)

Art/Women/California 1950-2000: Parallels and Intersections is an unprecedented examination of the impact that specific women artists, working in California in the second half of the twentieth century, have had on broadening the definition of art. Twenty preeminent scholars from diverse cultural backgrounds investigate how the vast sociopolitical changes of the post-World War II era affected these women and how the ensuing events influenced the art that they produced. This book outlines the role these pivotal artists and their work played in reshaping the California cultural profile into what it is today.

Illustrated with more than one hundred color plates and duotones, Art/Women/California 1950-2000 reveals the richness of this fifty-year period by contrasting and comparing the artists and their varied artistic practices in relation to the larger sociopolitical context. The book employs a variety of historical perspectives to reflect the distinct and parallel experiences of California's major cultural communities while revealing points of intersection by analyzing shared themes and practices.

Because California serves as a gateway for a myriad of immigrants and an epicenter for the feminist movement, and because of its history of activism, its culture of experimentation, and its reputation for innovative technology and media, the state has evolved into a crucial and inspirational environment for women artists. Their work continues to transform our perceptions and revitalize art's connections to its surrounding environment and community. Exploring the conjuncture between place and artistic activity from multiple perspectives, this book stands as a testament to the rich diversity that is contemporary California culture.

This book is a copublication with the San Jose Museum of Art

Genres: Art, History

397 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 2002

About the author

Whitney Chadwick is a professor emerita at San Francisco State University. She has published on issues of gender and sexuality in surrealism, modernism, and contemporary art. Her book Women, Art, and Society (Thames and Hudson, 1990; fifth revised and updated edition, 2011) explores the history of women’s contributions to visual culture from the Middle Ages to the 21st century through an examination of the intersection of class, gender, race, and sexuality with culture, geography, politics, and criticism.

Chadwick received her PhD from the Pennsylvania State University. In 2003, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Gothenburg. Her research has been supported by fellowships at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and the Forum for Advanced Studies in Arts, Languages, and Theology at Uppsala University.

(from https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/peo...)