A: Would you agree that there are more opportunities for women artists these days?
At Salomon Arts in Tribeca
A: It’s true that there are more opportunities now for women artists. Indeed, there are more opportunities for ALL artists. Social media has helped immensely in that it allows artists to take charge of our own careers, making us less dependent on the approval, largesse, and/or validation of art world gatekeepers.
However, at the highest levels of our profession, there are many inequities. As more women become art museum directors, collectors of contemporary art, and leaders whose taste matters, the status of all female artists is bound to improve to become more aligned with that of males.
Comments are welcome!
Posted on June 23, 2018, in An Artist's Life, Inspiration, New York, NY and tagged art world, artists, careers, collectors, dependent, gatekeepers, inequities, museum directors, opportunities, profession, professions, Salomon Arts, social media, status, take charge, Tribeca, women. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Interesting subject, Barbara. Another way to sort this out might be to see how much current politics drives the makers of art, the viewers of art, and the promoters/buyers/sellers of art. Is it solely the presence of women in “consequential” places that opens the field to more women? Considering that women USED TO be expected to stay in the realms of homemaking, child rearing, arts, literature, and as employees of men who were the executives– NOW the “ceiling” has cracked and women are making a LOT of noise with their new voice. What woman artists are producing is full of hubris (always a stimulant to the art market) and our “times” are those of agitation and debate. Pushing what is current is what galleries will always do, the make money. So galleries will choose to show what sells the ready buyer– and now women are very much the ones who have freedom of the checkbook! They are working!
But what else is suffering? Do the women “own” so much of the art dynamic that we have lost the scope of a dual perspective? Have we yelled louder than men? And is this a permanent situation, or will we (we always do) eventually evolve into a difference balance.
Is art imitating life? SGHolland
Susan, all of these are interesting points. Thanks for commenting and giving me more to think about!