This November, Root Division presents Pulling Threads, a conversation between Feminist art history and contemporary Bay Area women artists. Guest curated by Victoria Mara Heilweil, Pulling Threads showcases the lasting influence of the Feminist movement on the next generation of female artists through their contemporary exploration of craft, domestic space, motherhood, and the body.

Nearly 45 years after Womanhouse, the issues raised by pioneering Feminist artists remain vital to contemporary discourse. Presented as a dialogue between past and present, the seventeen artists in this exhibition chose an inspirational historical Feminist artist whose work informs or resonates with their practice. In the gallery, didactics including art-historical information and statements about the influential artist’s practice alongside the contemporary work. This structure champions the pioneering Feminist artists while illustrating interesting visual and conceptual connections spanning several decades.

Through a range of artistic practices, Pulling Threads aims to reclaim the title of “Feminist” and embrace its many meanings and processes. Utilizing iconography, materiality, and process, Pulling Threads calls attention to the gendered categorization of labor and domesticity, the spectacle and anti-spectacle of the female body, and its complicated relationship with identity.

The opening reception of Pulling Threads will include performances by Sonya Philip, Christina Velazquez and an interactive installation by The Fortnight Collective.

Participating Artists

Artists' Panel:
November 17, 2016, 6:00 to 8:00 pm

Moderated by:
Anastasia James, Associate Curator, Contemporary Jewish Museum

Pulling Threads Exhibition Images

Pulling Threads is free, open to the public, and includes a Creative Station - all ages art activities hosted in our classroom during the 2nd Saturday opening reception.