ABSTRACT
In 1970, Judy Chicago spearheaded an art program at Fresno State. It was a pilot program of sorts, but a paradigm shift in the making. And like many monumental changes, it began as an idea. In this case, courageous women were incorporating aspects of their daily lives, their politics, and their sexuality into an art form. They portrayed their angst, anger, heartbreak, joy, and creative sexual juices with paints, textiles, embroidery, quilting, and other traditional women’s past times in shocking new ways. Why? Because many times they were painting their breasts, buttocks, and vaginas into art. But it wasn’t just their body parts they celebrated; it was also about commemorating their womanly passages and in some cases, their wounds, and their dark secrets that had kept them in bondage since childhood.
