Kate Shepherd, "Blue and Teal Blue, Sunshine Stage" (2002)
Unapologetic: All Women, All Year takes an in-depth look at works from SMoCA’s collection, highlighting diverse women artists whose work boldly and unapologetically parses topics such as identity, beauty, violence, and equality. Artists include Dotty Attie, Melinda Bergman, Claudia Bernardi, Dominique Blain, Cristina Cardenas, Sue Chenoweth, Judy Chicago, Renee Cox, Lesley Dill, Bailey Doogan, Angela Ellsworth, Lalla Essaydi, Dorothy Fratt, Barbara Hepworth, Laura Korch, Barbara Krashes, Kyung-Lim Lee, Laurie Lundquist, Muriel Magenta, Louise Nevelson, Yoko Ono, Adria Pecora, Barbara Penn, Beverly Pepper, Monique Prieto, Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, Kate Shepherd, Deb Sokolow, Beth Ames Swartz, Julianne Swartz, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, Melanie Yazzie and Asami Yoshiga.
As a result of historically being overlooked within the structure of art history, women constitute an average of less than 15% of the artists in museum collections nationally. For the year, SMoCA presents a selection of women artists from its collection to bring awareness to this lack of inclusion. This exhibition’s title conveys a sense of strength, signaling for systemic change within culture, where individuals of all gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, age, and ability see themselves represented within museums. On view during the 100th anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the United States, Unapologetic aims to create a space that recognizes the importance of equality within cultural institutions.
This exhibition presents a variety of mediums and genres of art, including modernist bronze sculpture; large, abstract, shaped canvases; conceptual art; written word; photography; printmaking; painting; sculpture; and collage. It is the Museum’s first yearlong collection show, and it includes a section for rotational highlights, as well as a gallery dedicated to rarely shown installation-based works (on view February 15 – May 31, 2020).
Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Lauren R. O’Connell, assistant curator, with Keshia Turley, curatorial assistant. The exhibition is part of Feminist Art Coalition (FAC), a national platform for art projects informed by feminisms. For more information, visit feministartcoalition.org.
