Miriam Schapiro

1. Miriam Schapiro Challenging notions of High Art with Femmage

2. Miriam Schapiro Born in Toronto 1923 Studied painting in New York Began working in Abstract Expressionist style but during 1960s developed Feminist works Established Feminist Art programme at Cal arts Collaborated with Judy Chicago in Womanhouse Instrumental in the growth of the �Pattern and Decoration� movement � who aimed to destabilise preconceptions of high art; embraced beauty and humour in a time of minimalist, intellectual art.

3. Femmage combination of paint and �feminine� materials � e.g. fabric, embroidery, quilting, clothing in compositions For Schapiro & her collaborator Melissa Meyer it is a high art term that describes what women have been doing for centuries � assembling pictures from assorted materials � e.g. through Sewing, piecing, hooking, quilting, appliqueing Blurs the boundaries between fine arts � as she uses paint AND fabrics She transforms and reveals crafts WHY IS THIS CHARACTERISTICALLY FEMINIST?

4. Anonymous was a Woman 1977 series of prints was made from actual doilies, the lacy cloths of flowers, hearts, baby bonnets etc. �I chose this media because traditional women�s work, such as embroidery and crocheting, were not signed,� said Schapiro �

5. The Doll House 1972 Part of the Womenhouse project Made in collaboration with artist Sherry Brody Highly decorated Sense of fantasy / fun How does this work convey Feminist ideas?

6. Close up of two rooms �Decorative is not a dirty word� (Art Critic David Bourdon, 1976 in a review in the Village Voice)

7. Anatomy of A Kimono 1975-76 Detail � of the monumental 50 ft wide femmage (installation at Andre Emmerich gallery 1976) Give 2 ways this work declares itself �high art� Iconography � what 3 motifs are visible in this section? What is suggested by the black figure? Why do you think she chose the kimono?

8. Anatomy of a Kimono On the choice of the kimono, Schapiro said, �I wanted to speak directly to women � I chose the Kimono as a ceremonial robe for the new woman. I wanted her to be dressed with the power of her own office, her inner strength� I wanted the kimonos to be a surrogate for me, for others. Later I remembered that men also wore kimonos, so the piece had an androgynous quality.� Many Pattern & Decoration artists drew inspiration from Celtic, Byzantine and Islamic art. For Schapiro, it was Japanese art.

9. Mary Cassatt and Me 1976 She termed these works �collaborations� (metaphor for her homage to the earlier artist�s work) In what ways does this resemble a shrine? Why do you think she has chosen this image?

10. Conservatory (Portrait of Frida Kahlo) 1988 Frida Kahlo presented with features of Miriam Schapiro Resembles the Mexican goddess of birth & death Tlazeoteot'l

11. Barcelona Fan 1979 Materials: Paint, Fabric glued on canvas. Size: 1.83 x 3.66m Style: How does this work present itself as High Art ? (consider composition, form, size). In what ways can it be considered �decorative�? Iconography � why a fan?

12. Mother Russia 1994 Features Russian modernist women artists Iconography: what colours and motifs communicate the theme of this work?

13. Wonderland 1983 Describe the various art forms you can see. What is the central image?

14. Wonderland 2.5 x 4m �this is an enormous painting� Media: Acrylic and fabric collage on canvas Old Australian needlework (this made after Schapiro�s return from Australia in 1983) e.g Embroidered handkerchiefs Crocheted aprons Table linen with maps of Australia Quilting on the border Lacework Iconography: (as described by Schapiro herself) �The central image is an apologetic housewife in a 1920s kitchen She makes a slight curtsy in our direction as if to see, �I�m sorry, excuse me for living.� I felt that by making a large canvas magnificent in colour, design and proportion I could raise a housewife�s lowered consciousness.�

15. Master of Ceremonies 1985 ICONOGRAPHY Describe the figures in this work. What ideas about men and women do they suggest? Which character do you think might represent the artist? What might this work say about identity? What is suggested by the stage lights?

16. Master of Ceremonies 3 figures: The male is in the center, the focus of attention the mother figure is peripheral and even more fully part of the masquerade of femininity the daughter has rejected traditional femininity in her costume, her position, and her movement. .� Although the Schapiro figure holds a palette, she is more like a cloth doll, without a spine, than a strong person. The lights on the floor of the stage look like flaming pots, and one has to wonder if this image is an image of successful separation and construction of role and gender identity or the opposite.� It is, afterall, almost an apocalypse, with the leaning buildings in the background, but one which is masked by the performance of the theater. (www.radford.edu)

17. Summary: Key Characteristics of Schapiro�s art imagery from the women's sphere: quilts, houses, clothing, fans. she �collaborates� with the work of women artists who were invisible in art history whom she wants to place in an artistic genealogy with herself. Her large scale Femmage challenges notions of high art by bringing traditionally female art forms into fine art contexts This allows her to pay homage to artists whose legacy she wants to preserve it is also a method she uses to explore her own identity as a woman artist.

18. What do you think? Is Miriam Schapiro�s work is successful in claiming a place in history for the materials, techniques and art forms traditionally associated with women?

19. References http://www.radford.edu/rbarris/Women%20and%20art/miriam%20schapiro.html http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_42/legendaryfeminist.html http://matrixpress.blogspot.com/2009/05/miriam-schapiro.html Entry on �Miriam Schapiro� in the Concise Dictionary of Women Artists, by Mary Francey. Norma Broude, �Miriam Schapiro & Femmage� from The Power of Feminist Art