Curated by Salon Design Founder Amanda Pratt P’25, “Women’s Work” is a group exhibition celebrating the breadth and complexity of contemporary craft from the perspective of 12 female artists. Broadly labeled “women’s work,” traditional craft techniques were historically overlooked by the fine art establishment. According to American curator and activist Lucy Lippard, “‘Female techniques like sewing, weaving, knitting, ceramics, even the use of pastel colors (pink!) and delicate lines — all natural elements of art making — were avoided by women” for fear of being thought of as too feminine and thus irrelevant. The 20th century brought about a shift in how the art world perceived craft, as the work of artists such as Shelia Hicks, Ruth Asawa and Toshiko Takazu began to be recognized as fine art. “Women’s Work” explores the effect of technological innovation in the use of traditional craft as a means expressing the female experience.
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