Date of Award

2019

Document Type

MA Project - Restricted Access (SIA Only)

Project Type

MA Project - Business Plan

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

First Advisor

Stephan Pascher

Second Advisor

Judith Prowda

Abstract

The art market is a 67 billion dollar machine that grows each year exponentially, yet women artists only make up 2% of these sales. Across art history, women artists have virtually been erased from archives and revered as nude muses. The challenge for women artists to establish their footing in the art world is a long deep-seated history that has slowly evolved in the last decade. A combination of the dwindling pool of accessible art on the secondary market, along with progressive strides for human rights and gender inclusion, has caused the spotlight to shift towards exploring what these overlooked artists have to offer. Women artists of color, in particular, are at the nexus of this movement as their journey weaves in double discrimination; gender and race.

The following research walks us through a comprehensive analysis of the role women artists played throughout history, how race and gender intersect in the arts, and how the primary and secondary markets are adapting to this shift in collection habits. This historical component supports the initiative in the creation of Palette, a contemporary art web series that features solely women artists of color. The show attempts to connect the dots across visual exchanges happening between black creators and movements all over the world, in Africa, Europe, and America through an interactive web format. Each episode is filmed in the artists’ studio with the backdrop of some of the world’s most colorful cities (i.e., New York, Lagos, London), underscoring the critical presence and influence these women have in their global art community. The mission of the show is to bring exposure to each artist’s perspective, practice, and creative process as a means of broadening the canon of art history.

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