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What does it mean to be a feminist in 2014? What qualifies art as feminist art? A week-long series, Feminism Now, will explore these and other questions with an exhibition of student work, performance art, a panel discussion, and a symposium co-sponsored by CIA’s Sculpture Department, its Liberal Arts Department, The Sculpture Center, and Zygote Press.

“The proliferation of media via the Internet has made it possible for more voices to be heard - and as well to be lost,” said Associate Professor Lane Cooper. “It is this reality that contextualizes the questions that surround feminism today as well as feminism’s relationship to art. This mini-conference, the second of its kind, represents CIA’s Visual Arts Environment’s commitment to examining issues relevant to the community and artists today.”

CIA Exhibition
March 17-21
Opening reception Mon March 17, 3:30-4:30pm
First Floor, Joseph McCullough Center for the Visual Arts
11610 Euclid Avenue
CIA visual art students will be presenting an exhibition of work exploring issues related to feminism titled Exposing the Truth, curated by Cooper and adjunct faculty member Jessica Pinsky. Students participating in this exhibition include: Hannah Davis, Evan Fusco, Rose Haserodt, Jim Lubanovich, Jenna Mahoney, Cassie Opaskar, Justin Smith, Annmarie Suglio, Justin Woody, and Rachel Yurkovich. For more information, click here.

Panel Discussion
Monday, March 17, 5-7pm
The Sculpture Center
1834 E. 123rd Street
Megan Lykins Reich, director of programs and associate curator at MOCA Cleveland, will open this discussion with a presentation on First Wave Feminist Hannah Wilke’s (1940-1993) Intra-Venus work. From there, the focus will be on the legacy of earlier feminists on the current movement and younger artists. Participants will look at: What is contemporary feminism and what does it look like within art? How has it evolved? What is the burden or the benefit of the legacy?

In addition to Lykins Reich, panelists include: Christopher Whittey, vice president of faculty affairs and chief academic officer at the Cleveland Institute of Art; Liz Maugans, one of Zygote Press' co-founders and the managing director since 1995; Olivia Mihaltianu, a Bucharest-based international artist whose recent works are inter-disciplinary projects on personal, social, and cultural identity, including different techniques: video, film, photographs, objects, installations and performance; Erika B. Hess, an artist whose paintings explore the representation of the middle-class and women through her use of color, abstract forms and pop culture symbols. Click here for more on the panel discussion, including brief biographies of the panelists.

The Sculpture Center’s Exhibition and Performance
Opening Thursday, March 20
The Sculpture Center
1834 E. 123rd Street
And is Herself Created, a solo exhibition by Sara Holwerda, opens with events from 5:30-9 p.m. At 7 p.m., CIA students will join Holwerda in a performance of her piece, “The Fall.” The exhibition will be on view through April 17. For more information, click here.

Symposium
Feminism: Gender and Practice
Friday, March 21, 4-6:30pm
The Sculpture Center
1834 E. 123rd Street
This symposium concludes the week with a deep dive into questions surrounding feminism, art and society. Moderated by CIA Visiting Instructor Dan Tranberg, the symposium will focus on moving beyond the legacy to look at contemporary issues and strategies. What is the current purview of feminism? What is its relevance to artists and the public at large? Symposium participants include: Lauren Kalman, a visual artist whose practice is invested in contemporary craft, video, photography and performance; Sara Holwerda, an artist who investigates and responds in her work to the almost constant performance required of women in society, especially women in entertainment and service industry roles; Christine Howey, an award-winning theater critic who wrote and performed in the recent, one-woman production Exact Change at Cleveland Public Theatre. Click here for more information, including biographies of the participants.