Feminist Art in Present-Day Practice: Raising Voices (2015)

Undergraduate: Olivia Branscum

Faculty Advisor: Cary Levine
Department: Philosophy

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This project explores the contemporary relevance and intersectional challenges of feminist art through academic research, gallery and museum visits, and interviews with woman-identified creative practitioners. It will ultimately exist as a creative piece in its own right in the form of an extended audio collage. Feminism as a social philosophy seems to be enjoying a moment of especially pronounced visibility, resulting in a widespread culture of discussion and interest as well as opportunities for increased scrutiny. As one might expect, many women makers are consequently exploring their personal stance towards feminism through their art practices. Often, however, women artists view their feminist identities (or lack thereof) as inextricable from a complex of other characteristics that mark them as individuals as well as members of various communities. While feminism provides a valuable lens of practice and critique for many artists, it may be necessary to approach the discourse around their work from a perspective that acknowledges the possible influence of feminism (including the historical feminist art movement) alongside features such as the artist¿¿¿s Blackness or socioeconomic experience, for example. In fact, taking a step back from feminism to give breathing room to other analytical structures is critically important, as failure to do so could lead to an erasure of identities and oppression that many feminists claim to champion.