Who Does She Think She Is?

Posted on | May 13, 2009 |

I went to see Who Does She Think She Is? at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square last night with my daughter. It follows several women artists, all of whom have children, and shows both the power of their work and the powerful struggles we face as women artists whether we’re mothers or not.  The statistics are appalling—only 2% of the artists in the permanent collection of the Tate Modern are women; MOMA is something like 10%.  Janson’s ubiquitous History of Art mentioned just one woman artist, Mary Cassatt, when I was a student of art history in the early 70’s.  It’s been updated seven times and now mentions less than 20, this in over 2,000 years of art.

Over 3,000 years ago women were revered as the givers and nurturers of life.  This changed, obviously, and I’d like to know more about how that shift occurred.  All of us have come of age in a time when women artists are virtually invisible.

Watching the film I was deeply moved by the art and music these women were making and also by how wonderful their children are.  A couple of the women had supportive husbands but even so that doesn’t mean that making their art is easy.  One, Janis Wunderlich, makes figurative sculptures that cut through to the powerfully conflicting feelings of motherhood and autonomy.  She’s a Mormon mother of five and works out of her house in an Ohio suburb.  She sells her work all over the world and reckons she sells about one piece per month. She’s a bit of a rock star in the world of ceramic sculpture.

Maye Torres lives in Taos, New Mexico and does work that comes from the deep unconscious.  Her husband left her when she began to become known and then tried to take her three sons away from her in a custody battle.  He did not succeed and it’s clear her boys adore her and she them, and also that her life would not be possible without making art—it’s who she is.  She reckons that she can get by on $24,000. a year by growing a lot of her own food.

It seems to me that the film raises these two obvious issues—the fact that the art world is dominated by men who will not allow women in, and the fact that women need some sort of support in order to make art or must find a balance between what is possible and how they will support themselves.  One thing that is non-negotiable for all is the fact that they are and must remain artists. Angela Williams, a phenomenal singer and performer, found that her minister husband couldn’t tolerate her decision to follow her dream.  He left her in the midst of making the film and she fell ill from stress.  It meant she simply couldn’t audition in New York any more.  She had the wisdom to choose another authentic path and opened a theater school for kids.  ‘Everything has its season,’ she said.

I was also very interested in how these women came to their art at different stages of their lives.  Camille Musser did not begin painting until she was in her forties and her kids grown.  Angela Williams, too, didn’t begin until her kids were almost teenagers.  But once they began, there was no turning back.  For most women, full self-expression has been difficult and sometimes dangerous.  Many have been disregarded or met with disappointment too often.  Too many are afraid that what they have to say doesn’t matter.  Even the very best women artists are not in the Tate Modern or MOMA.  Pamela Tanner Bolls, the director, said that for a long time she didn’t think she had anything worthwhile to say.  Why was she so special?  I had those thoughts too for a while and chose to say only so much until life peeled away some of the layers that obscured the heart.  And it will do that!

As my daughter said on the way home—now our art needs to be about creating a new society.  I love that.  And I don’t think this is just a women’s issue, I think many men suffer too from feeling that being an artist may not matter in our culture.  One of the big issues is how do we look after our children so that no-one is neglected or undervalued?  How can we support families so that both parents can be caregivers and also have time for their own work?  But as the women in the film showed, even in an imperfect society, we still need to honor our talents.  It may be challenging on a lot of levels to be an artist in this world but it’s always deeply rewarding to do what we’re called to do even in the face of a thousand uncertainties. The great thing about making art, day after day, is that it gives us courage and a sense of peace and happiness.  Just as the universe changes when a butterfly flaps its wings, so it changes, I think, with our good spirits!

What was great about the film was that it pointed out the challenges of being a woman artist but it also showed women who just got on with it and who exuded a deep sense of fulfillment.  Bravo to them and to all artists.  The film will soon be out on DVD.

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