From the start of my career I understood the art scene was mostly dominated by male artists. In fact, all through history I could count on one hand how many women actually came to any fame from their art…never mind making a living from it. And yet, I find it hard to believe the women weren’t out there working their hearts out, sacrificing their quality of life just for the chance to make art. Even today the galleries are still dominated by male artists and I’m confused to understand why.
This brings me to an article I read recently about how there’s this growing population of older female artists who have worked their entire lives with little recognition. This is truly an untapped treasure of work that needs to be discovered. There’s an honesty in work that struggles through adversity and still finds its own power without compromise. It’s art that has something to say. While there are many women’s art exhibits today, there’s still a sense of exclusion about them. I don’t like my work to be labeled as female. I would like to think when someone looks at my work they are excited about what they see, not the fact that I’m a woman. I don’t want my work to have a gender.
While there might be more women in the galleries today than in the past, the galleries are still dominated by men. It seems that hasn’t changed much. So I want to send out a challenge to those who have opportunities for artists not to forget the rich and talented population of older women artists. They have years of skill and insight developed in the shadows of an art world that can gain from their point of view. There are more galleries in New York today and I hope they have become sensitive to the depth of talent still waiting to be discovered.