The Dinner Party: Judy Chicago and The Power of Popular Feminism, 1970–2007Jane F.Gerhard. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2013.

Abstract

The Dinner Party: Judy Chicago and The Power of Popular Feminism, 1970-2007 Jane F. Gerhard. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2013.Clearly written, incredibly well researched, and balanced in its analysis, Jane Gerhard's re-telling of the genesis of what is arguably the single most important work of feminist art and culture since its production provides readers with a detailed glimpse inside the coming to, and coming after of, Judy Chicago's, The Dinner Party. The highly contested and truly iconic work-a triangular dinner table set in ceramic and needlework for the unrecognized heroines of the past -has been most often situated within histories of early feminist art and second wave feminism, where it is commonly understood as a form of feminism which was essentialist at best. Gerhard does justice to the topic, not dismissing these criticisms but embracing them as a means for arguing for the work's larger significance. Gerhard argues that The Dinner Party was a form of feminist cultural activism, which was easily understood and consumed by the general public and, as such, is an excellent case study of the ways that feminism reached non-activists and created change outside of the confines of the movement and its participants.The book begins by charting the emergence of American feminist art communities in the late 1960s and early 1970s, giving detailed accounts of Chicago's development as a feminist artist and her subsequent impact upon her many students. Gerhard outlines in detail the development and implementation of Chicago's legendary Feminist Art programs, including one in Santa Monica, California between 1975 and 1979, where The Dinner Party was constructed. These stories unravel the unique feminist perspective from which the artwork emerged; one that was radically determined to create culture by and for women. The book moves to The Dinner Party's public exhibit and tour from 1979 to 1989, along with the praise and criticisms of the work from both published and unpublished sources. While many had emotional, celebratory responses to this first in women's history, others spoke out against its reinforcement of an educated, white, and upper-middle class feminism which produced a singular history of women's accomplishments. While changes in feminist perspectives and wars on culture would go on to marginalize the work, forcing it to be kept in storage with fears of being lost and devalued like the women artists the piece celebrated, The Dinner Party eventually found a permanent home in the Brooklyn Museum in 2007. …