The new exhibition showcases female print artists from the 1960s to now.
Does a woman need to be naked to get into the Metropolitan Museum?
This question was posed by the Guerrilla Girls, an anonymous group of female avengers that speak out against the underrepresentation of women in the art world. Their activist artwork is being shown in the Museum of Fine Arts, and in prints made by female artists from the 1960s to today.
The exhibit “Marks Made: Prints by American Women Artists from the 1960s to the Present” features prominent artists throughout the past 55 years. The exhibition will run until Jan. 24. Tickets are $10 for students and $17 for adults.
The Guerilla Girls are known for wearing gorilla masks and taking pseudonyms of late influential female artists. One of the founding members, Käthe Kollwitz, whose name is derived from a German expressionist artist, entered a packed auditorium at the museum and proceeded to throw bananas into the crowd waiting to hear her speak.
In front of a giant projector, Kollwitz discussed how underrepresented female artists were only able to get their work shown in major museums if they were dead or nude.
This is still a real problem, she said, and exhibits like “Marks Made” help bring awareness.
With over 90 prints on display, nearly all styles of the printmaking process are represented. Many of the artists shown are prominent figures throughout the abstract and expressionist print movement. One such artist is Pat Steir, who was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1938. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Pratt Institute in New York.
The Peacock Waterfall, a color silkscreen on paper, is presented in the exhibition. Steir utilizes water as a theme throughout her work. In this specific piece after choosing the color scheme she allowed gravity to finish the print.
“The way that the red and the blue vibrate when they touch each other – that to me explains the whole universe,” Steir said.
Two museum supporters, Martha and Jim Sweeney, helped fund and populate the art exhibit. The Sweeneys have been dedicated to help increase the awareness of female artists throughout the printmaking movement.
In celebration of the exhibition, the MFA is holding two special movie showings in December. Both Woman of the Year (1942) and Big Eyes (2014) will be shown on Dec. 3 and Dec. 17.
Printmaking courses in the department of verbal and visual arts are available at USF St. Petersburg where students learn all the print styles showcased in the exhibition and also work closely with professional artists to create their artistic imaginings. A few techniques studied through the program include cyanotypes, linoleum prints and copper etchings.
“I’m really enjoying this program,” says junior Charlie Harris. “As a professional photographer, taking a printmaking course really helps me combine two of my passions: Photography and art.”
