SUZANNE LACY, FEMINISM and QUILTING by JACQUELINE
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EVER PRESENT, NEVER PRESENTED: SUZANNE LACY, FEMINISM AND QUILTING by JACQUELINE WITKOWSKI B.A. (Hons), DePaul University, 2010 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Art History) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) September 2014 © Jacqueline Witkowski, 2014 Abstract Seated at tables of four, over four hundred women aged 55-95 years old unfold tablecloths of yellow, red, and black. With their choreographed and synchronized gesturing hands, they mimic traditional Euro-American quilt patterns. This performance, titled The Crystal Quilt, was produced by Los Angeles-based artist Suzanne Lacy in 1987 as the culminating work to the two- year long, statewide initiative Whisper Minnesota (1985-1987). There is a continued resonance of the quilt in Lacy’s oeuvre, as The Crystal Quilt was the third project to reference quilts and quilt making. The first project, Evalina and I: Crimes, Quilts, Art (1975-78), and a smaller commemorative project (1980), employed tactile quilting projects instead of the conceptual quilt arrangement that Lacy would incorporate in 1987. The formal and historical attributes of this textile practice have been largely ignored in contemporary scholarship on the artist, thus raising the question of how this very specific medium encouraged her artistic and activist agenda. The primary focus of this thesis is an exploration of how Lacy mediates these two approaches, one of feminism and the other inspired by conceptual artist Allan Kaprow, through the medium of the quilt. Neither Lacy’s quilt works nor the use of craft during the second wave feminist movement has been sufficiently analyzed within craft scholarship. The thesis thus centers on the historical labor of quilting, its pedagogical and political aspects, the cross generational connection of feminism since 1987, and finally, the impact it currently has on quilt scholarship. ii Preface This thesis is original, unpublished, independent work by the author, Jacqueline Witkowski. iii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ............................................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ vi 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Suzanne Lacy ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Art, Craft, Quilts, and Feminism ........................................................................................ 4 1.3 Examining Lacy’s Praxis ................................................................................................. 14 2. Quilting and Lacy ..................................................................................................................... 17 2.1 Traditional Quilts and the Modernist Elevation ................................................................ 17 2.2 The Crystal Quilt (1985-87) ............................................................................................. 21 2.3 Evalina and I: Crimes, Quilts, Art (1975-78) ................................................................... 27 3. Education and Collaboration ..................................................................................................... 30 3.1 From Fresno State to CalArts .......................................................................................... 30 3.2 Between Chicago and Kaprow ......................................................................................... 32 3.3 Pedagogical Discourse ..................................................................................................... 40 3.4 Cross Generational Dialogue and Critique ...................................................................... 49 4. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 52 Figures........................................................................................................................................... 53 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 55 iv List of Figures Fig. 1. An installation view of The Crystal Quilt, 1985-87. Video, documentary, sound and a quilt are shown in one of the spaces in the Tanks. Bloomberg.com. Screen grab of www.bloomberg.com, with search terms ‘The Tanks, Crystal Quilt.’ Accessed August 11, 2014. .................................................................................................................................... 52 Fig. 2. Robert Rauschenberg, Bed, 1955. Oil and pencil on pillow, quilt, and sheet on wood supports, 6’ 3 ¼” x 31 ½” x 8 inches. ............................................................................. 52 Fig. 3. Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party, 1974-79. Ceramic, porcelain, textile, 576 x 576 inches. ....................................................................................................................................... 52 Fig. 4. Installation view of the exhibition Abstract Design in American Quilts, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, July 1–October 5, 1971. .............................................. 52 Fig. 5. Suzanne Lacy, The Crystal Quilt, 1985-87. Aerial view of the performance. www.Tate.org.uk. Screen grab from the Tate blog: Work of the Week, with search terms ‘Crystal Quilt.’ 2012. Accessed August 11, 2014. ................................................................... 52 Fig. 6. Suzanne Lacy, The Crystal Quilt, 1985-87. The end of the performance as the women handed out scarves. Screen grab of www.suzannelacy.com, from the Crystal Quilt page. Accessed August 11, 2014. .................................................................................... 52 Fig. 7. Physical quilt by Miriam Schapiro for the installation of The Crystal Quilt at the Tate Modern, July 18, 2012–January 20, 2013. ........................................................................ 52 Fig. 8. Photograph of The Women on Watts showcasing their completed quilts, 1975- 1980. Suzanne Lacy. Screen grab of www.suzannelacy.com, from the Evalina and I: Crimes, Quilts, Art page. Accessed August 11, 2014. .............................................................. 53 Fig. 9. Photograph of the installation view of Evalina and I: Crimes, Quilts, Art, 1975- 1980. Suzanne Lacy. Screen grab of www.suzannelacy.com, from the Evalina and I: Crimes, Quilts, Art page. Accessed August 11, 2014. .............................................................. 53 Fig. 10. Movement score for Eighteen Happenings in Six Parts, 1959. Photo: Jeff Kelley. .................................................................................................................................................... 53 Fig. 11. Diagram illustrating the audience as a series of concentric circles from Suzanne Lacy, ed. Mapping the Terrain: New Genre Public Art, 1995. ................................................ 53 Fig. 12. Organizational chart for Whisper Minnesota, 1985-87. .............................................. 53 Fig. 13. Photograph of Evalina Newmann and Suzanne Lacy, 1977. Photo by Suzanne Lacy. .......................................................................................................................................... 53 All images are listed but not reproduced. Copyright permissions not granted. v Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to extend my gratitude to my primary advisor, Dr. T’ai Smith. It was her academic rigor, probing and constructive questions, and general support that encouraged the development of this thesis from a seminar paper. I am indebted to her guidance through the many iterations of this thesis and the many discussions on craft and textiles that have helped shape my methodological thinking and research. I would also like to thank my second reader, Dr. John O’Brian, whose seminar and generosity of ideas pushed me to further explore the politics imbued in craft. For their seminars and insights, I extend my gratitude to Dr. Serge Guilbaut, Dr. Katherine Hacker, Dr. Carol Knicely, Dr. Jaleh Mansoor, Dr. Joseph Monteyne, and Dr. Charlotte Townsend-Gault. This project would have not been possible without my colleagues and friends at the University of British Columbia. For their engaging and encouraging conversations in seminars and over many cups of coffee, I am particularly grateful to Rachel Smith, Jayne Wilkinson, Erica Zacharias, Jeff O’Brien, and Laura Dickinson. For her tough love and tenacious spirit, I thank Kristen Carter. Lastly, I thank all my family and chosen family for their love, patience and understanding. To Debbie, John, Zachary, Alyssa, Trish, Edward, Nathaniel and