Womanhouse

In 1971, Judy Chicago and Miriam Shapiro founded The Feminist Art Program at The California Institute of the Arts.  The 25 students worked on a collective piece: transforming an old mansion into an installation and performance space.

“Womanhouse” in the Archives

Below are links to pdf and media files of materials from the Womanhouse art installation in the Judy Chicago Art Education Collection archived at The Eberly Special Collections at Penn State. Publications are available in alternative media on request.

Preparations

• Readings

• • “Thoughts on Returning to Teaching After Twenty-five Years” writing by Judy Chicago (Box 11, 12)

• Research
• Self Presentations
• Building Group
  • A Photo of Participants in Womanhouse
  • A clip from the Womanhouse on the importance of belonging [8:40-9:12] https://judychicago.arted.psu.edu/womanhouse-video/
• Content Search
• Artmaking Goals

Process

• Work Mode Selection
• Media Selection
  • Print can be a media selection, another medium to use with art-making. Though this sample is from the Womanhouse catalog, it can be used to illustrate a collaborative method for K-12 teachers.
• Format Decisions
  • Leah’s Room—a photo of the performance illustrates the different mediums that can be used in a K-12 setting.
• Ideal to Real
• Support Structure

ArtMaking

• Participant Selection
• From Process to Image
• Balancing Support and Guidance
• Content-based Critique
• Audience
  • Photo of Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro
  • an image of Menstruation Bathroom
  • The Womanhouse Catalogue
  • 16 Show panels 
  • The Womanhouse video
  • This photo illustrates the finished Dining Room  
  • This photo captures a moment of the performance “Leah’s Room”
  • “As one woman visitor to my room commented, ‘This is exactly where women have always been—in between the sheets and on the shelf.’  It is time now to come out of the closet” – Sandy Orgel
• Evaluations