This is a blended offering which means some portions of the class will take place online and others will be completed in the classroom. 

WGST 2005-01/ARH_VS 2005-02: Women Artists

In 1971, art historian Linda Nochlin asked, “Why have there been no great women artists?,” implying only painters and sculptors could be considered “great.” Yet, there have always been “great” women artists. Only recently have art historians begun to recognize “women’s art” like needlework and textiles as worthy of study alongside the traditionally celebrated (masculine) artforms of painting and sculpture. Challenging the white-centric, patriarchal art history “canon” in this course, students study the contributions of women to the history of visual and material culture in the Western world since the eighteenth century. This course uses feminist theories and methodologies to study art in a variety of media, ranging from embroidery and basketmaking to portraiture and architecture. Each weekly theme focuses on selected artists that exemplify the innovation, passion, and ambition necessary to make “great” art, regardless of gender.