A Radical Alteration
Women's Studio Workshop as a Sustainable Art Making Model
Somehow, I think it was during college, I heard about the Women's Studio Workshop, which is located in the foothills of the Hudson Valley’s Shawangunk Mountains, in New York State. Their facilities for multiple disciplines, with etching, photography, papermaking, and book arts being of particular interest to me, along with their emphasis on encouraging women artists, sounded like a magical place.
That would have been the early/mid-nineties, so possibly I found out about WSW on the intarwebs? But I also have a vague recollection of getting a paper catalog of their summer courses. So who knows. (And how did we find out about things back in the day?!)
Anyway, there were many fantastic looking offerings, but, for a variety of reasons, I didn't make it to any of them, and then things in my life got more life-y/"practical" and I don't know that forgot about is quite the right word, but I was in a different space than where WSW is - literally and figuratively.
Fortunately, they have kept on keeping on, and are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary this year! A Radical Alteration: Women’s Studio Workshop as a Sustainable Model for Art Making, curated by Maymanah Farhat, is a travelling exhibition offering a look into the organization's history.
The exhibit is currently (January 20 - March 31, 2024) at San Francisco Center for the Book, which is where I got to check it out - on International Women's Day, actually, which seemed very apropos.
From the exhibit text:
Founded as a teaching collective by artists Ann Kalmbach, Tatana Kellner, Anita Wetzel and Barbara Leoff Burge in 1974, WSW has grown into an internationally-recognized organization that offers support, training, exhibition opportunities, internships, and residencies to historically marginalized artists.
and from the WSW About page:
Women’s Studio Workshop envisions a society where women’s visual art is integral to the cultural mainstream and permanently recorded in history.
also from the WSW Artists' Books page:
An early proponent of the medium, Women's Studio Workshop has produced over 230 limited edition artists' books since the publishing imprint began in 1979. WSW's publishing schedule includes 4-6 artist's publications annually across three genres of focus, including handmade artists' books, zines & print multiples, and a recent addition of research publications.
The exhibit includes a selection of the artists' books that have been produced over the years, as well as other printed material and ephemera. Also included are some mockups and process notes for some of the books, giving a hint of the process, which I really enjoyed.
There is a display of the correspondence between artist Clarissa Sligh and WSW, which includes her proposal for her book What’s Happening With Momma? It was neat to see some of the business side that keeps WSW running, and get a glimpse of what deep archival material they must have.
There will be a gallery walk through with curator Maymanah Farhat tomorrow, Saturday, March 16, 2024.
From SFCB, the exhibit will travel to Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Women's Studio Workshop, Minnesota Center for the Book, and National Museum of Women in the Arts. If you are close to any of those locations, I recommend seeing this exhibit.
And, now that WSW is back on my radar, maybe I’ll make it there to make some art one of these days!