Lesbian Art Project

Lesbian Art Project (1977 – 1979) was a participatory art movement founded by Terry Wolverton and Arlene Raven at the Woman's Building in Los Angeles.[1] The pioneering project focused on giving a platform to lesbian and feminist perspectives of participants through performance, art making, salons, workshops and writing.[2] One significant piece of work created during the project was An Oral Herstory of Lesbianism, in 1979, which documented lesbian women and their feelings, views, experiences, and expression.[3]

The Lesbian Art Project was part of an ongoing effort by Arlene Raven, co-founder of the Woman's Building, to incorporate lesbian-oriented programming into the Feminist Studio Workshop, which had already launched the Los Angeles League for the Advancement of Lesbianism in the Arts (LALALA) in 1975.[4]

Critics and artists influenced by the tenets of postmodernism dismissed much of the art work made in the 1970s from a lesbian feminist perspective. This has resulted in very little being known or written about this pioneering work. The activities and events associated with the Lesbian Art Project at the Woman's Building in Los Angeles have played a larger role in lesbian art history than is often acknowledged. The project began with six women (started by Terry Wolverton) working collectively with a common goal of increasing opportunity for lesbian artists and writing a chapter of lesbian art. This small group disbanded in less than a year but Wolverton and Raven continued in their pursuit of a Lesbian Art Movement. As they continued their project they became astonishingly productive, and they were able to integrate the Lesbian Art Project with the curriculum of the Feminist Studio Workshop at the Woman's Building.

At the Woman's Building they were able to organize a major performance event based on lesbian identities: The Oral Herstory of Lesbianism (Oral). Advertised as "Storytelling, Theater and Magic for Women Only",[5] the project was directed by Wolverton and its stories generated through a workshop for the thirteen performers. The scenes addressed a wide range of issues, including butch and femme identities, incest and sexual abuse, and lesbian stereotypes. Another performance sponsored by the LAP was Terry Wolverton and Ann Shannon's FEMINA: An IntraSpace Voyage (1978), which was created as a response to popular, patriarchal science fiction and is considered to be an example of lesbian feminist camp.[6]

Along with the major performance events, a database for lesbian artists was now in existence. Wolverton and Raven went their separate ways before completing the book they had planned but both continued to individually promote feminist and lesbian art.

A partial successor to the LAP was the 1980 Great American Lesbian Art Show (GALAS), also at the Woman's Building.[7]

## References

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1. ^ Klein, J (2010). "The Lesbian Art Project". J Lesbian Stud. 14 (2): 238–59\. doi:10.1080/10894160903196541. PMID 20408013. S2CID 40418132.
2. ^ Jennie Kelin (2010). "The Lesbian Art Project". J Lesbian Stud. 14 (2): 238–59\. doi:10.1080/10894160903196541. PMID 20408013. S2CID 40418132.
3. ^ "Wack! Audio Tour: Lesbian Art Project, Carolee Schneemann, Suzy Lake, Judith F. Baca". Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
4. ^ Bonnie Zimmerman, ed. (2013-08-21). Encyclopedia of Lesbian Histories and Cultures. Routledge. p. 65\. ISBN 9781136787515. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
5. ^ Broude, Norma, and Mary D. Garrard. "The power of feminist art: The American movement of the 1970s, history and impact." (1996).
6. ^ Klein, Jennie (2011). "The Ghost of Desire: The Lesbian Art Project and the Woman's Building". Doin' It In Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building. Otis College of Art and Design. pp. 126–157.
7. ^ Thompson, Margo Hobbs (20 April 2010). "DIY Identity Kit: The Great American Lesbian Art Show". Journal of Lesbian Studies. 14 (2–3): 260–282\. doi:10.1080/10894160903196558. PMID 20408014. S2CID 34404439.2–3&rft.pages=260-282&rft.date=2010-04-20&rft_id=https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:34404439#id-name=S2CID&rft_id=info:pmid/20408014&rft_id=info:doi/10.1080/10894160903196558&rft.aulast=Thompson&rft.aufirst=Margo+Hobbs&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Lesbian+Art+Project" class="Z3988">

## Further reading

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* Hélène Cixous. Hillary Robinson (ed.). The Laugh of the Medusa. Blackwell, 2001.
* Joanne Hollows and Rachel Moseley. Hollows and Moseley (ed.). The Meanings of Popular Feminism. Berg, 2006.
* David E. James, ed. (2003). The Sons and Daughters of Los: Culture and Community in L.A. Temple University Press, 2003. ISBN 9781592130139.
* "Once More, with Feeling. Feminist Art and Pop Culture Now". Retrieved 1 February 2014.
* Woman's Art Journal Vol. 24, No. 1 (Spring - Summer, 2003), pp. 42–46
* Klein, Jennie. "Lesbian Art Movement." Journal of Lesbian Studies. N.p., 2010. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
* Wolverton, Terry. "The Art of Lesbian Relationship: Arlene Raven and the Lesbian Art Project". In: Johanna Burton / Anne Swartz (eds.): Arlene Raven's Legacy (Critical Matrix - The Princeton Journal of Women, Gender and Culture, issue 17), 2008, pp. 66–71.

## External links

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* 2010 interview with Terry Wolverton

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Feminist art movement in the United States

* Feminist art movement
* Women artists

Precursors|

* American Association of University Women (1881)
* National Association of Women Artists (1889)
* New York School of Applied Design for Women (1892)

Venues or organizations|

* A.I.R. Gallery
* Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art (Brooklyn Museum)
* Feminist Art Coalition
* Hera Gallery
* Lesbian Art Project
* National Museum of Women in the Arts
* New York Feminist Art Institute
* SOHO20 Gallery
* tArt Collective
* Washington Women's Art Center
* Women Artists in Revolution (WAR)
* Women's Art Resources of Minnesota
* Woman's Building (Los Angeles)
* The Women's Building (San Francisco)
* Women's Graphic Center
* Women's Interart Center
* Women's Studio Workshop

Exhibitions or installations|

* Twenty Six Contemporary Women Artists (1971)
* Womanhouse (1972)
* Three Weeks in May (1977)
* The Sister Chapel (1974–1978)
* The Dinner Party (1979)
* WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution (2007)

Films or documentaries|

* !Women Art Revolution

Publications|

* Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics (1977–1992)
* The Feminist Art Journal (1972–1977)
* Women Artists News {1975-1992)
* "Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?" (1971)

Groups|

* subRosa
* Guerrilla Girls
* The Waitresses
* Women Artists in Revolution
* Women's Caucus for Art
* Where We At

Notable women|

* Alison Bechdel
* Lynda Benglis
* Louise Bourgeois
* Norma Broude
* Judy Chicago
* Elaine de Kooning
* Mary Beth Edelson
* Suzi Ferrer
* Helen Frankenthaler
* Mary Garrard
* Nancy Graves
* Eva Hesse
* Lila Katzen
* Jane Kaufman
* Lee Krasner
* Georgia O'Keeffe
* Barbara Kruger
* Louise Nevelson
* Yoko Ono
* M. C. Richards
* Rachel Rosenthal
* Carolee Schneemann
* Cindy Sherman
* Sylvia Sleigh
* Alma Thomas
* June Wayne

Lists|

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People|

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Groups|

* AMASONG
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* Gay Women's Alternative
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* June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives
* Lavender Menace
* Leeds Revolutionary Feminist Group
* Lesbian Art Project
* Lesbian Avengers
* Lesbian Feminist Liberation
* Lesbian Herstory Archives
* Lesbian Movement (Denmark)
* Lesbian Organization of Toronto
* Lesbians Against Pit Closures
* Lincoln Legion of Lesbians
* Mujeres Creando
* Oregon Women's Land Trust
* Salsa Soul Sisters
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Key issues|

* Butch
* Butch and femme
* Compulsory heterosexuality
* Corrective rape
* Dyke
* Feminist separatism
* Femme
* Gender-critical feminism
* Lesbian bed death
* Lesbian erasure
* Lesbian feminism
* Lesbians in Francoist Spain
* Lesbians in the Spanish Second Republic
* Lesbophobia
* Lipstick lesbian
* Political lesbianism
* Radical lesbianism
* Soft butch
* Stone butch
* Stone femme
* U-Haul lesbian
* Womyn-born womyn
* Womyn's land

Media|

| Books|

* Les Guérillères (1969)
* Lesbian Nation (1973)
* Le Corps Lesbien (1973)
* Lover (1976)
* The Wanderground (1979)
* Zami: A New Spelling of My Name (1982)
* Lesbian/Woman (1991)
* The Straight Mind and Other Essays (1992)
* Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold (1993)
* Your Silence Will Not Protect You (2017)

|

Other|

* Die Freundin (1924–1933)
* Vice Versa (1947–1948)
* The Ladder (1956–1972)
* Arena Three (1963-1972)
* The Woman-Identified Woman (1970)
* Off Our Backs (1970–2008)
* Lavender Woman (1971–1976)
* Lesbian Tide (1971–1980)
* Dykes & Gorgons (1973–1976)
* Lesbian Feminist Circle (1973–1986)
* WomanSpirit (1974–1984)
* Lesbian Connection (1974–present)
* Conditions (1976–1990)
* Sinister Wisdom (1976–present)
* Azalea: A Magazine by Third World Lesbians (1977–1983)
* Common Lives/Lesbian Lives (1980–1996)
* Onyx: Black Lesbian Newsletter (1982–1984)
* Amazones d'Hier, Lesbiennes d'Aujourd'hui (1982–present)
* Dykes to Watch Out For (1983–2008)
* Hothead Paisan (1991–1998)
* Diva (1994–present)
* Journal of Lesbian Studies (1997–present)
* Jane's World (1998–2018)
* Curve (2000–present)
* AfterEllen (2002–present)
* Velvetpark (2007–present)
* Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (2017)

Actions and ideas|

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