Comments on: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — If You’re a Female Artist

By: Matt Kaplinsky

Matt Kaplinsky — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:09:21 +0000

I believe this perceived “inequality” in the art business is a load of horse manure. In my experience over the past 17 years specifically, I have seen an equal number of women and men garner the same attention and/or success with art at various levels and similarly with failures. The fact of the matter is most people can scarecly predict what a gallery owner will want to show, nor what a buyer will want to purchase. The reality in my opinion is that one’s sex has nothing to do with the fact that it’s tough getting into galleries, tough finding buyers, and tough dealing with the media to get attention to one’s artwork. That’s just life- no bias.

Feminist statements are also tough to sell, as is any other art that makes a statement. Art with a minimal amount ‘to say’ sells more readily than art with a statement or point.

For Dallas women artists to gain more recognition, better pricing, and show/sell more, all they have to do is work harder just like the rest of us.

I seem to sell more art than most artists, and its all about work. Work to excersize the talent, work to get the art seen, work to support the galleries, the community, and work to get the art sold.

…I am ready for my cookies now.

By: Manny Mendoza

Manny Mendoza — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:08:45 +0000

One way to address this problem is to start early teaching children that women artists are as relevant as men. To that end, La Reunion TX has teamed with the Girls Scouts and DADA to create meaningful connections between artists and high school girls.

Art Chicas Unidas, as the program is called, is looking for artists to participate. The application deadline is Tuesday. More information here:
http://www.lareuniontx.org/artchicas2008.html

By: Rawlins Gilliland

Rawlins Gilliland — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:04:17 +0000

You think you’re kidding? My artist/activist mother, among other things a trail blazer at the Dallas Morning News in the 1950s as book review and commentary writer (who discounts ‘it’s in the genes’) was forced to use a male pseudonym when she reviewed a ‘controversial’ book like To Kill a Mockingbird’. (Mentioned in my own KERA commentary that aired last fall linked below)

Mother was (as are so many women) far smarter than her male bosses who insisted that women ‘cannot be taken seriously’. She wrote (when forced to use a ‘male’ name) under ‘Brooke Clarke’ Of course Dallas women recognized that no man spells ‘Brook’ with an ‘e’. But this went over her publisher’s head.

As a boy raised by a feminist activist mother who had been raised by a suffragette, I never went through the ‘clueless male’ stage that still afflicts many of my gender peers. That served me well when, years later, I reported exclusively to an amazing female CEO, Neiman Marcus’ Karen Katz, later profile interviewed by the fiercely brilliant Lee Cullum on her delicious KERA 13 show ‘CEO’.

http://publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news/content/1137610.html

By: frank

frank — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:32:18 +0000

Kettle Art always shows as many women as it does men and all is well. This past July, Cathey Miller’s one person show “Prepared Americans” was incredible ajd one of our top selling shows thus far, Three person exhibits featuring the likes of Havi Frost, Wilhemina Adams, Melanie Gomez, Lisa Lindholm, Jayme Nourallah, and Marie Sena are not at all out of the norm and have all been very successful as well. Next month, we are very excited about “Into the Wild” w/ Erica Felicella, Tori Webb Pendergrass and (yes it’s a guy) George Fowler. In January we’ve got a one person exhibit lined up w/ print maker, Judith Lea Perkins. I am dismayed by the thought of there perhaps being a bias because all these artists, and more, have always brought so much beauty and enlightenment w/ their talent to our gallery.

By: Erin Michael

Erin Michael — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:18:28 +0000

Interesting… I know that in my ‘regular day-job’ in the business world, I get more response from emails when the receiver thinks I’m a guy. When I receive replies addressed to my last name (Michael), the tone and results are definitely different than when they come to Erin.

It’s frustrating and sad (and, unfortunately, not surprising) if this spills over into the art community. When I make things to sell, my name is on it, but I don’t have any photos on my website of myself, partly because of the concern of gender-bias.

I have no idea why some people get hung-up on the ‘parts’ an artist has. Most of me says that if a person or gallery thinks there is a difference, that their problem, but when you need to sell to these same people to make a living, what’s a chick to do?