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Abstract Suzanne Lacy ABSTRACT SUZANNE LACY: THREE WEEKS IN MAY Suzanne Lacy’s continuous involvement in both the feminist and anti-rape movements during the 1970s helped raise social awareness on the subject of rape, an issue that was rarely taken seriously and often misunderstood. Beginning with a brief outline of the anti-rape movement and its feminist context, this paper will explore Lacy’s groundbreaking work, Three Weeks in May, a Los Angeles based event that addressed the issue of rape using a combination of art and social organization. This three week long event consisted of gallery installations, self- defense demonstrations, public speak-outs and street performances. In this thesis I will take into consideration the benefits of utilizing public art as a means to address social and political issues, and elucidate Three Weeks in May’s contribution to the anti-rape movement. Emily Louise Krause May 2010 SUZANNE LACY: THREE WEEKS IN MAY by Emily Louise Krause A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Art in the College of Arts and Humanities California State University, Fresno May 2010 © 2010 Emily Louise Krause APPROVED For the Department of Art and Design: We, the undersigned, certify that the thesis of the following student meets the required standards of scholarship, format, and style of the university and the student's graduate degree program for the awarding of the master's degree. Emily Louise Krause Thesis Author Keith Jordan (Chair) Art and Design Laura Meyer Art and Design Nancy Youdelman Art and Design For the University Graduate Committee: Dean, Division of Graduate Studies AUTHORIZATION FOR REPRODUCTION OF MASTER’S THESIS X I grant permission for the reproduction of this thesis in part or in its entirety without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorbs the cost and provides proper acknowledgment of authorship. Permission to reproduce this thesis in part or in its entirety must be obtained from me. Signature of thesis author: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my parents for their continuous support and love and my thesis committee for their guidance and humor. Thank you especially to Suzanne Lacy, Leslie Labowitz-Starus, Aviva Rahmani, Cheri Gaulke, Anne Gauldin, Barbara Smith, Laurel Klick, Jan Lester-Martin and Nancy Youdelman for sharing their insight on this project. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES . ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 Violence Against Women . 1 Feminist Intervention . 2 Interviews and Sources. 3 Thesis Organization . 5 2. SUZANNE LACY. 8 Early Education. 8 VISTA. 10 Fresno State College. 11 Judy Chicago and the Feminist Art Program . 11 CalArts and Allan Kaprow . 14 Ablutions, 1972. 16 The Woman’s Building. 22 One Woman Shows, 1973 . 23 3. FEMINISM AND THE ANTI-RAPE MOVEMENT . 26 The Awakening Feminist Conscious . 27 Anti-Rape Movement . 28 Historical Reference. 29 Definitions of Rape . 31 Rape Myths. 34 vii Chapter Page Rape Prevention and Feminist Mobilization . 36 Rape-Supportive Culture . 37 Post-Traumatic Stress and the Aftermath of Rape . 39 Three Weeks in May . 41 4. THREE WEEKS IN MAY SCHEDULE AND EVENTS . 43 Contributors . 43 Three Weeks in May Artists . 45 Schedule of Events . 47 Maps . 49 Workshops . 54 Performance Art. 55 Cheri Gaulke and Barbara Smith’s Die Liebestod . 55 Anne Gauldin and Melissa Hoffman’s Breaking Silence . 57 Laurel Klick’s Exorcism . 59 Leslie Labowitz-Starus’s Myths of Rape . 61 Leslie Labowitz-Starus’s The Rape . 63 Leslie Labowitz-Starus’s All Men Are Potential Rapists . 64 Leslie Labowitz-Starus’s Women Fight Back. 66 Suzanne Lacy’s She Who Would Fly . 66 Guerilla Event . 69 Self-Defense Workshops . 70 Media Influence and Coverage . 71 Conclusion . 73 viii Chapter Page 5. THREE WEEKS IN MAY DOCUMENTATION AND IMPACT . 75 Rape Law Reform . 76 Rape on Television and in Print . 77 Community Response and Further Work by Suzanne Lacy . 79 Suzanne Lacy: Activist and Artist . 80 Conclusion . 83 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 86 APPENDICES . 90 A. THREE WEEKS IN MAY SCHEDULE PT. 1 . 91 B. THREE WEEKS IN MAY SCHEDULE PT. 2 . 93 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Ablutions, by the Performance Art Workshop of the Feminist Art Program, 1972 . 18 2. One Woman Shows, by Suzanne Lacy, 1973 . 25 3. Maps, Three Weeks in May, by Suzanne Lacy and Leslie Labowitz-Starus, 1977 . 51 4. Die Liebestod, by Cheri Gaulke and Barbara Smith, 1977 . 56 5. Breaking Silence, by Anne Gauldin and Melissa Hoffman, 1977 . 59 6. Myths of Rape, by Leslie Labowitz-Starus, 1977 . 62 7. All Men Are Potential Rapists, by Leslie Labowitz- Starus, 1977 . 65 8. She Who Would Fly, by Suzanne Lacy, 1977 . 68 9. She Who Would Fly, by Suzanne Lacy, 1977 . 69 10. Guerilla event, by Suzanne Lacy, Melissa Hoffman, Phranc and Judith Loischild, 1977 . 70 11. Self-defense workshop, 1977 . 71 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION The 1960s through the 1980s were crucial years for women around the world, as the second wave of the Feminist Movement was gaining in strength and numbers. While their predecessors in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century had succeeded in achieving the right to vote, second wave feminists continued to address issues that women still faced, such as inequality in the workplace and reproductive rights. Along with fighting for these additional rights, second wave feminists also introduced women’s issues, including inequality in the workplace, homosexual relationships, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and rape to modern day society. While all of these issues were taken seriously by feminists, the last two subjects struck a major chord. Violence Against Women During the late 1960s through the 1970s, violence against women in the form of domestic abuse and rape were rarely addressed by society. Marital and acquaintance rape were not considered crimes, and each state interpreted the definition of rape in different ways. During this time law enforcement and the court systems did not take the issue of 2 rape seriously, thus causing the rest of society to adopt the same attitude. Those who had not experienced rape had difficulty seeing past the physical act, as it appeared to be similar to consensual intercourse. What was not taken into consideration when viewing this crime was the fear and traumatizing effects that rape caused, similar to what war veterans and victims of child abuse experienced. This consistent ignorance on an issue that was affecting women at an alarming rate worried contemporary feminists, who viewed the act of rape as a violent assertion of power of a man over a woman instead of merely a sexual act. The combination of ignorance, lack of information, and wrong information about rape contributed to several rape myths, such as the belief that women secretly craved rape and that rape only occurred in low end areas of town. These myths often led to false stereotyping of victims and perpetrators. Feminist Intervention Using a combination of different tactics, feminists rose to the challenge of exposing this growing social epidemic. While pushing legislatures to produce harsher punishment for rape was one goal, these women also hoped to better educate the public on the subject and offer a stronger support system for those who had already been victimized. 3 During the 1970s, violence against women reached its peak, yet society continued to turn a deaf ear on the subject. Thus, the anti-rape movement was born and lasted approximately from the 1960s and continues to present day. Groups and individuals from all levels of society, including public leaders and regular citizens, supported and contributed to this movement in numerous ways with the common goals of preventing violence against women and providing support for those who had already experienced it. Tactics used to gain support for this movement ranged from public addresses, various forms of written work, and also art, which will be the main focus of this thesis. While several feminist artists created visually effective work in support of this movement, it would be feminist artist Suzanne Lacy, along with her colleague, Leslie Labowitz-Starus, who would create a groundbreaking project called Three Weeks in May. This project, which consisted of three week’s worth of activities, public addresses, performance art and gallery installations, fulfilled the primary goals of the anti-rape movement and so much more. Interviews and Sources While the positive changes that occurred in response to the anti-rape movement and the second wave of the feminist movement cannot be credited to any single group or person, the focus of this paper will be in what ways 4 Suzanne Lacy and Three Weeks in May contributed to the anti-rape movement and why both the project and movement was a success. An in-person interview with Lacy proved to be a pivotal source for the thesis, as it gave me better insight into the project and how it developed from a simple idea to a three-week-long event. The majority of my research, in the form of published books and articles, were located at the Henry Madden Library at California State University, Fresno, which is the same campus where the first Feminist Art Program began in 1970 thanks to feminist pioneer, Judy Chicago. Online articles were found using the Jstor database where past articles from art magazines, such as High Performance, NWSA, and TDR were useful. Articles that addressed the subject of rape and trauma were found in the American Art Therapy Associate Journal and a more recent article in the New York Times is included. An extensive interview with Suzanne Lacy that had been previously conducted by Moira Roth was a useful source as well, primarily focusing on Lacy’s background and thought process.
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