Feminism and Ethnicity and Selected Women Artists of Color

Copyright  The body of literature on the intersections of culture, gender, and race has not been seriously incorporated into the general accounts of women artists. Published literature reveals that race is equal to or perhaps more important than gender to women of color. This paper describes my proposed study investigating what influence feminism and ethnicity may have in the lives of Black American and All Rights Reserved Native American women artists. Recent research is limited regarding these issues in association with women artists of color. This study can add to the growth of this research. This study is based on an inquiry regarding the influence of feminism and ethnicity in the lives of women artists of color. Women artists of color view themselves in relationship to factors which can include race, gender, sex, and class (Machida, 1991). Two of these factors are related to the areas of focus of this study. Gender is considered a component of feminism and race a component of ethnicity. An analysis of gender and race is based on the assumption that individuals and groups possess coherent and stable identities and interests grounded in unmediated experiences. Feminist theory, characterized by such universalism, has relied upon this concept of collective and individual identity (Dugger, 1995). Copyright  The issues of racism and feminism are linked in the sense that the struggles are connected, and discrimination against any group diminishes all. The struggles of women artists of color are qualitatively different because the oppression of sexism is amplified by that of racism, classism, and religious and ethnic discrimination (Touchette, 1991). All Rights Reserved world (Solomon & Higgins, 1996). The feminist movement of the 1960's sought to develop a sense of sisterhood. Some individuals, however, questioned the movement's emphasis on sisterhood. The questioning was based on a concern that such a focus marginalizes those women different from the white middle-class women who were leading the movement. Women of nonwhite ethnicity were included in those individuals marginalized. More recent philosophical feminism has attempted to correct the earlier marginalization in its redefinition from the points of view of women from minority groups (Solomon & Higgins, 1996). Feminist philosophy is based on the supposition that women are as important as men, and it has added a new dimension to philosophy in its insistence that a person's gender conditions the way he or she approaches the Marilyn Zurmuehlen’s Working Papers In Art Education 1998-1999 2 4 Whitehead: Feminism and Ethnicity and Selected Women Artists of Color http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol15/iss1/6 _______________________________________________________ Overview of Study The main question investigated in this study is, how, if at all, have feminism and ethnicity influenced selected Black American and Native American women artists? The areas of feminism and ethnicity are comprehensive, thus, an attempt to answer such an extensive question would be a difficult endeavor. As a result, subtopics generated by the review of literature have been developed to narrow the focus of the study. The subtopics or questions include: 1. What is the artist's definition of the term feminism? 2. What is the artist's definition of the term ethnicity? 3. How has feminism affected the artist in her Copyright  (a) education, (b) professional life, (c) identity, and (d) art production? 4. What role has ethnicity played in the artist's (a) education, (b) professional life, (c) identity, and (d) art production? All Rights Reserved An exploratory study is being conducted, addressing the artists' life experiences regarding feminism and ethnicity. This research approach is of a qualitative and inductive nature. Gay (1996) informs us that qualitative research is the collection and analyses of narrative data in an attempt to gain insight. The approach to this inquiry is inductive in that the research is seeking to derive and describe feelings that will promote a greater understanding of how, if at all, feminism and ethnicity have influenced Native American and Black American women artists. Research will be conducted through the use of a limited sample of Native American and Black American women artists employing case studies. Any conclusions will be based on the artists’ individual experiences without attempting generalizations to other Native American and Black American women artists. Importance of the Study Copyright  Investigating this question explores the "problem" of feminism and ethnicity in connection with selected women artists of color. Women artists in All Rights Reserved general are under-represented in the study of art, and women artists of color are represented to a lesser degree. The review of literature reveals limited studies on the intersection of feminism and ethnicity concerning the lives of Black American and Native American women artists. Research into the influences of feminism and ethnicity regarding Black American and Native American women artists will contribute to the growth of this underdeveloped area. What implication does this have in the area of art education? By the turn of the century, LaDuke (1992) states that one out of four Americans attending school will be of Native American, African, Latin, or Asian heritage. LaDuke (1992) also asks how is the reality of this situation reflected in education and the art establishment. This reality and query are motivating factors and a guiding force in insuring that information concerning the lives of persons of color is more fully incorporated into art educational settings. A potential use of this research is to Marilyn Zurmuehlen’s Working Papers In Art Education 1998-1999 2 5 Marilyn Zurmuehlen Working Papers in Art Education, Vol. 15 [1999], Art. 6 http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol15/iss1/6 _______________________________________________________ contribute to the information base of teaching and learning in art education. Art education is not restricted to teaching and learning in the classroom but is also about educating the public as a whole. Data gathered as a result of this study can be incorporated into additional avenues of instruction such as educational departments of museums and cultural centers.