Addressing Gender Roles in Society through Chicago’s Womanhouse (1972)
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Authors
Howard, Meagan C.
Issue Date
2020
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Womanhouse was created as an exhibition artwork by Judy Chicago, Miriam Schapiro, and the students of the feminist art program at UCLA during the second wave feminist art movement. Created in an abandoned mansion, the installations were designed to represent how a woman’s life changes once she is married. To create the concept for each installation, the artists participated in consciousness-raising sessions that allowed them to voice their thoughts and feelings on a topic. The kitchen represented the nurturing side of women that were always caretakers and became mothers to their children. This work focused on essentialism, the celebration of the essence of being a woman. Essentialism worked towards the same goal that Womanhouse did, to come together and celebrate everything about being a woman. The entire exhibit was meant to show that when women become married, they are hopeful that they’ll become equals to their husband in the home, but instead, they become the housekeeper of the home and the caretaker of the children. I argue that Womanhouse was revolutionary because it used the consciousness-raising sessions to visualize the gender inequality that was happening to women every day.