The feminist art movement of the 1970s set off an explosion of artmaking and analysis that still reverberates in the art world today, and the Woman's Building in Los Angeles was one of the major centers of activity. Artist Susan Mogul offers two works dedicated to the history of this site, a historic video shot during an event in the space and a short contemporary documentary featuring reflections from Woman's Building participants.
DESCRIPTION
In 1975, the Feminist Studio Workshop (I was a member) at the Woman’s Building in LA, the Women’s Interart Center in New York City, and another feminist organization in Washington DC, attempted to set up a video exchange among feminist art organizations. This was the first videoletter on our end. I don’t know if another one was ever made.
The videoletter is a tour of the Woman’s Building. Pam McDonald, with microphone in hand, another workshop member, and myself, served as guides through the building. It was shot with a black and white video portopack.
The tour includes interviews with various women in different parts of the building: Sheila De Bretteville, in one gallery discusses the Eileen Gray show- the first time Gray’s design work was shown in LA; Judy Chicago, at a book signing in the lobby, she had just published Through the Flower. Susan King, in the upstairs gallery, discusses the quilt show she had just organized, and Carol Kern at the opening of her one woman show in the community gallery, discusses how her WICCA pal, Z-Budapest, a witch, had just been arrested for reading tarot cards.
— Susan Mogul
This title is only available on Susan Mogul Videoworks: The Woman's Building