Women Artists of Color: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook to 20th Century Artists in the Americas - Hardcover

by Phoebe Farris (Author)

Critical essays on 20th-century female artists of color focus on how these distinguished artists achieved success, what makes their work important both to the art world and to their specific communities, and what influences their work is likely to have in the future. The artists are representative of four ethnic groups: African American, Asian Pacific American, Latin American, and Native American. Parallels drawn explore the similarities and differences among the artists. The early feminist art movement of the 1970's concentrated on gender with less consideration given to race or class, yet to many artists of color, ethnicity factors significantly into the shaping of their identities and to the content of their art. Women artists of color have expanded the scope of protest art, fusing the past and current history with gender and race and deconstructing stereotypical mainstream representations of their gender and ethnic identities. This presentation of artists balances older and deceased artists with the younger, emerging artists. The artistic mediums span the gamut from traditional painting and sculpture to newer forms such as video, conceptual, and performance art.

Author Biography

PHOEBE FARRIS (Powhatan) is Associate Professor of Art and Design and Women's Studies at Purdue University. She is the author and editor of Voices of Color: Art and Society in the Americas (1997) and the recipient of a Fulbright grant, NEH grant, and a Rockefeller Scholar in Residence.