!Women Art Revolution

Artist and filmmaker Lynn Hershman Leeson has been documenting the evolution of feminist art over the past four decades, often interviewing the principal creators in her Berkeley apartment. !Women Art Revolution interweaves talks with notable figures (including Miranda July, Judy Chicago, Yvonne Rainer, Hannah Wilke, and Carolee Schneemann), commentary from curators and critics, and excerpts from performance pieces. The overwhelming rejection of the first wave of feminist art by established galleries and others—Chicago's The Dinner Party was decried in the U.S. House of Representatives as “pornography”—meant much of the work existed only on bootlegged slides. Being forced underground led to some brilliant protests by the Guerrilla Girls, an anonymous group that compiled and publicized statistics on galleries, which mainly exhibited work by white men. These high-spirited actions were a counterpoint to the infighting that occasionally pitted women against one another. When performance artist Ana Mendieta's husband was accused of pushing her to her death from a window, wealthy male artists funded his defense; he was acquitted, and the lack of response from females further divided the community against itself. !Women Art Revolution covers a significant, wide-ranging story that hasn't been told before. DVD extras include additional interviews and a featurette about the rawwar.org site, which features Leeson's film footage in its entirety and provides space for artists to upload their own work. Funny, feisty, educational, and provocative, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (H. Seggel)