Let me start off this post with a few statistics:
- The number of professionally trained artists and art historians in the U.S. – Males 52%, Females 48%
- Percentage of artists at major institutions:
- National Gallery of Art — 98% male, 99.9% white
- National Portrait Gallery — 93% male, 99% white
- Hirshhorn Museum – modern and contemporary art — 95% male, 94% white
- Exhibition opportunities: Juried (artists unknown to juror) – Males 52%, Females 48%
- Exhibitions opportunities: Invited (artists known to juror) – Males 80%, Females 20%
- Gender distribution of visual artists in art texts – Males 90%, Females 10%
- Of the over 100 Tonys awarded since 1947 for theater direction, only 2-5% have
And we like to think of the art world as being progressive. Thankfully we have filmakers like Pamela Tanner Boll and Nancy Kennedy to help shed some light on this through their film "Who Does She Think She Is?"
"From the producing team, that won an Academy Award for Born Into Brothels, comes WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?, a film that examines some of the most pressing issues of our time: parenting and work, partnering and independence, economics and art.
The film follows five women artists as they navigate the economic, psychological, and spiritual challenges of making work outside the elite art world. From Hawaii’s Big Island to the suburbs of Ohio, from New York City to the deserts of New Mexico, we watch as
these women—ranging in age from 27 to 65—fight to honor their vision and their families every day.
“(This film) is not about being a woman or being a woman artist but rather how
to be a human, how to find your true place in life.”
Jean M Murphy
Wellesley Centers for Women
Interviews with experts like Riane Eisler (The Chalice and the Blade), Maura Reilly (Sackler Center for Feminist Art-Brooklyn Museum) and the Guerrilla Girls add a cultural context for these women’s uplifting journeys. It is not accolades they seek; it’s simply the radical opportunity to live whole."
I have not seen the film but I wanted to share with you the trailer and the information. I do know that I don’t like the idea of anyone’s creativity being held back. That is the foundation of all that I do, the belief that every human being is creative. And that we would all be a lot better off if we all explored and worked on our individual creativity.
The website for the movie is www.whodoesshethinksheis.net. Check it out for yourself.
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