Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

First Advisor

Betsy Thomas

Second Advisor

Agnes Berecz

Abstract

My thesis objective is to extend women's understanding of the impalpable second-wave feminist term, "consciousness-raising," and its applications through curating a fictitious exhibition. My fabricated exhibition "Great Women Artists: Consciousness-Raising among Intersectional Feminists" will juxtapose the works of iconic feminist artists who practiced consciousness-raising with emerging and iconic female artists to advocate consciousnessraising's applicability for practicing women artists. Curating "Great Women Artists" will support the idea of raising a female class consciousness via mass consciousness-raising. I will utilize the voices of iconic second-wave feminists, such as Kathie Sarachild, who have discussed consciousness-raising’s impacts and supported the founding female class consciousness of feminist artists. Meanwhile, female class consciousness is rooted in the Marxist idea of ego and economic duality; male-representation's dominance only exists with the subjugation of female artists. Raising a female class consciousness would acknowledge women artists' lack of diversified representation in the male-dominated art world. Feminist artists may adapt consciousness-raising as a tool to elevate suppressed thoughts and feelings to change the dominant male visual practices, mutually draw conclusions, and command political activism, demanding institutional representation of women artists. If contemporary women artists practiced consciousness-raising in small intimate groups of women, they would uniquely contribute to modernism and create an essential dialogue between diverse women artists demanding intersectional womens’ art representation.

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