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Women In Art, Where Are They? Still...
Women In Art, Where Are They?
This is an article about the inequality of women in the fine arts field- gender inequality. Gender inequality is worse in the fine art career fields than in most other career fields. Shocking isn't it? Come on people, where is the outrage?
I think it is important for everyone in the "fine art business" to read the article Where Are All The Women Artists? by Erin Spencer, Contributor for ForbesWomen because it shows how long this gender inequality has been going on for women artists. And has gotten worse since 1985 when I created my painting, Women in Art, Where Are They?
Yes, only 13.7% of living artists represented in galleries in North America and Europe are women!
But these statistics are also important for those people looking to purchase art and art collectors/lovers. You are missing out on a huge segment of creative, unseen art from the female artist sector that records the history of art from another perspective!
FACT: When over 51% of the fine art created is hidden from view, you miss out on a huge sector of artistic talent. And those who control the fine art businessess & the marketing/critiqueing of fine art are doing that to us.
As someone who has an avid interest in viewing art that gives you pleasure and insight, and myself, as a creative, female artist with contemporary paintings that are competitive in the fine art world, we need to change this immediately.
The staggering statistics below are why female artists are always searching for answers why their art isn't "good enough" and taking so many marketing courses.
I know that was my reasoning. I felt it had to do with something I was doing wrong! Well, I don't think that way anymore. I am a statistic of the "masters in control of deciding who gets noticed in the art world".
Just to show you how aware I was of this problem since graduating from college in 1985, and how long I have been following this gender inequality issue, my 1st painting after graduating was named "Women in Art, Where are They?"
And it won 1st place in a juried 13 county show at the Cayuga Museum of Art & Science in NYS! Quilting was the only art form for many women since the beginning of time so I used that female art form and some famous male paintings to make my point!
One of the male viewer's at the opening night exhibition came up to me and said, "You know what would be great? If you actually made the quilt!"
OMG, OMG, I had just won 1st place and that wasn't good enough! Females always have to do more and even that isn't always enough! What he was doing was sending me back to quilting as a form of art as if the painting wasn't enough. If I was a male who created this painting, would he have told me to create the quilt?
The saddest fact is that the statistics have gotten even worse since 1985 for women artists since I created this painting!
An enlightened article for you to read: Where Are All The Women Artists? by Erin Spencer for ForbesWomen. I have copied the statistics paragraph here but please go online to Forbes to read the entire article. The 3rd paragraph from the article, that I put copied below, gives some startling statistics!
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According to the National Endowment for the Arts, 51% of living visual artists in the US today are women and, on average, those women earn 81 cents for every dollar made by their male contemporaries.
A recent study by the Public Library of Science found that of the permanent collections of 18 prominent art museums in the US, 87% of the represented works were completed by men.
Most recently, a joint study conducted in 2017, by artnet Analytics and Maastricht University in 2017 found that just 13.7% of living artists represented in galleries in Europe and North America are women.
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Unbelievable statistics in this article... I for one, as a long-time feminist and artist, am outraged.
First, I can't understand why all females, at birth, aren't designated feminists who stand up for their equal treatment and gender equality in this world. We all come out of the birth canal kicking and screaming up a storm no matter what our gender.
And second, as a fine artist, that my art is being neglected with many other wonderful, creative female artists because the "fine art controllers" feel we aren't worthy enough to be shown. How dare that we allow them to do this to us.
Again, art lovers and artists, where is the outrage? And women artists, we are the majority (51% of fine artists) so let's make sure we demand we get our fair due process.
On a more postive note: I thank NMWA for starting the #5WomenArtists campaign. But it needs to be brought up more often on social platforms than just during Women's History Month! Let's agree to start #'ing it on every post. OK? Are you with me on this?
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