Mark of the Body - Andrea Oxley

Honestly, I had a very difficult time organizing my thoughts for this assignment. Thanks to the encouragement from my professor, I knew I wanted to continue with an idea based on feminist theory, thought etc. Upon researching different feminist artists, I was inspired by the artist Judy Chicago and her "The Dinner Party" piece. I've taken various women's studies classes and have read, written, and learned about her, but I never had the opportunity to really meditate on her and this piece that I love dearly. I figured this project would be a great opportunity. I didn't have an idea, I just had the inspiration and I began to build my concept.

"The Dinner Party comprises a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table with a total of thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history. The settings consist of embroidered runners, gold chalices and utensils, and china-painted porcelain plates with raised central motifs that are based on vulvar and butterfly forms and rendered in styles appropriate to the individual women being honored. The names of another 999 women are inscribed in gold on the white tile floor below the triangular table. This permanent installation is enhanced by rotating Herstory Gallery exhibitions relating to the 1,038 women honored at the table."
-Brooklyn Museum Website

Judy created this piece to commemorate women from history. I found it ironic that she decided to choose a dinner party because, when I think of dinner or table settings, I think of gender roles. "Women are supposed to cook dinner. Women are supposed to prepare the table. Women decorate. etc. etc." In addition to that ironic aspect, her "craft-like" setup was also a bit ironic. As a female artist, I think women are/were expected to take on the "arts and crafts" as their form of artistic expression and then (of course) arts and crafts were deemed not good enough to be actual pieces of art and consequently, women, not good enough to be considered artists, but I digress. There is a lot that can be said about that. Judy completely reclaimed these aspects and created this iconic and legendary feminist piece of art. That is powerful and inspiring to me.

I'm a fairly sassy person at appropriate times, of course, but I know I am. I was raised in a household that did not treat me as less because I am a woman. I was raised by parents who hardly told me who I had to be or what I had to do with my life. I was raised by a mom who took absolutely no shit from my dad, men, and honestly, people in general. She was very strong and adamant. I have always admired that about her and have strived to replicate that in my  daily life. Because I'm so personal with my artwork and treat each piece as an intimate insight into my life, that sassy, strong, and adamant side of me comes out in my pieces. I like to and would like to take bolder strides like Judy Chicago or other feminist artists who RECLAIM certain things society has tried to use against us and to oppress us and make them MY OWN.

That being said, my idea for this performance piece was to present my audience with a female representative (me), a paint-by-number canvas, paint, NO paintbrush, and glitter. The whole idea is to perform what it's like for a female artist or female in general to feel, see, hear, and experience the limitations society, especially in the art world, puts on her when she approaches her career or passions. The paint-by-number canvas represents the pre-designed plan and limitations the patriarchy had and has for women. The paint I chose is specific shades of pink and peach to represent the outrageous idea that even colors belong to certain genders and are associated with what is beautiful. The lack of paintbrush represents the lack of tools and resources women are given to pursue their careers as artists or otherwise. That being said, I will be using my hands to paint. This represents the struggle a woman may go through in order to compensate or improvise after being robbed of or not given any tools to reach success. Finally, the glitter really is the cherry on top for me and the process. My intention for throwing glitter into this process was to say "fuck you and here's your glitter." Those were my exact thoughts, but in more educated terms, it's a representation of my anger and sass as a female artist.

If all goes as planned, my wish is to sit down and use my hands and these craft-like, not very sophisticated, and limited tools to create an expressive piece that reclaims the expectations I've been given as a female artist or a female in general by the patriarchy. I don't know if my piece will be pretty, ugly, full of anger, etc. but I want the "body" aspect to come from, yes, my hands, but also from my feelings, my emotions as I approach a situation that brings to the surface, something I and every female deals with in her daily life.

Inspiration:
Artist 1 - Judy Chicago
Artist 2 - crazinisT artisT
Article 1 - Arts and Crafts Movement-When Women United in Creativity
Article 2 - Women, Art, and Art History: Gender and Feminist Analyses
Article 3 - 14 Artworks that Prove Pink is Tough
Academic Thesis - The Evolution of Craft in Contemporary Feminist Art