Womanhouse 1972 and Wo/Manhouse 2022
On June 18, 2022, Through the Flower is excited to open Wo/Manhouse 2022, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the collaborative work initiated by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro, Womanhouse.
The exhibition is a contemporary reimagining of the original Womanhouse in a local home where nineteen New Mexican artists from across the gender spectrum have created their own artwork exploring the meaning of home, gender, and inclusivity. It also features historic and contemporary performances, a curated selection from the International Honor Quilt, and a historical exhibition, Womanhouse 1972, on the original work.
Womanhouse opened in Los Angeles in 1972 as part of the first Feminist Art Program, originally established by Judy Chicago at California State University, Fresno, and later expanded at CalArts. Chicago and co-educator, artist Miriam Schapiro, worked with a group of students and local artists to transform a dilapidated house in Los Angeles into a setting for a series of imaginative installations and established a performance space in the living room. During its month-long exhibition, over ten thousand visitors came to see Womanhouse, which later captured a global audience through filmmaker Johanna Demetrakas’s documentary on the project. The installation has gone on to inspire numerous works of art around the world and has contributed to significant changes in the very nature of art, expanding the conversation around which materials are considered suitable for artistic expression.
In 2001, Judy Chicago and her husband, photographer Donald Woodman, returned to the themes of Womanhouse. Working with both male and female students at Western Kentucky University, they created At Home: A Kentucky Project, an emotionally powerful series of installations that occupied multiple rooms within a local house.
Wo/Manhouse 2022 will premiere with an exclusive preview on June 17th from 5pm – 9pm, tickets are available online here.
The opening weekend will follow on June 18th and 19th, and the exhibition will remain open until October 9th, with performances every Saturday evening. Performance tickets are sold separately here.
On June 19th from 12-4pm, Dr. Karen Keifer-Boyd from Penn State University will present a lecture titled “Womanhouse 1972 to Wo/Manhouse 2022” along with a workshop titled “Wo/Manhouse Stories” with artists from Wo/Manhouse 2022. The presentation will be included with the June 19th Wo/Manhouse 2022 entry ticket.