What are some of the special considerations of being a gallery devoted to women artists?
Beate and I shared the vision that we were not looking for anyone else’s approval, whether to affirm that the gallery was good, or to let us “into the loop.” This is an institution that we will say is okay. We knew we weren’t going to put up crummy art, but normally when you talk about a women’s institution, art or otherwise, it’s like a charity. People say, “Oh, those poor women artists.” Well, women artists do need help being bought or being shown, but they don’t need help with their art. I try to use the word patriarchy, even though people have a phobia about it – it seems to suggest some sort of paranoia on the part of the user – but there are patriarchal systems, and we don’t want to be part of those systems. Men can’t be on the Board or on the staff. They can volunteer, be patrons, or be part of the Advisory Board. But they cannot govern; it would be completely against what we’re after. And we probably wouldn’t let a patriarchal woman come on board in any governing capacity. It h
Beate and I shared the vision that we were not looking for anyone else’s approval, whether to affirm that the gallery was good, or to let us “into the loop.” This is an institution that we will say is okay. We knew we weren’t going to put up crummy art, but normally when you talk about a women’s institution, art or otherwise, it’s like a charity. People say, “Oh, those poor women artists.” Well, women artists do need help being bought or being shown, but they don’t need help with their art. I try to use the word patriarchy, even though people have a phobia about it – it seems to suggest some sort of paranoia on the part of the user – but there are patriarchal systems, and we don’t want to be part of those systems. Men can volunteer, be patrons, or be part of the Advisory Board, but they cannot govern; it would be completely against what we’re after. And we probably wouldn’t let a patriarchal woman come on board in any governing capacity. It has nothing to do with being against men – we