Judy Chicago

Judy Chicago (born 1939 in Chicago, Illinois) is one of the most influential feminist artists of the twentieth century, and has lived and worked in Belen, New Mexico, since 1996 — making the Land of Enchantment the home base for one of the most significant ongoing practices in American contemporary art. Her connection to the Southwest is both geographic and spiritual: she has spoken often about the way the New Mexico landscape, its scale and its light, has shaped her understanding of what art can do and what it is for. Chicago is best known for "The Dinner Party" (1974–1979), a monumental triangular installation featuring thirty-nine place settings for important women from history and mythology, with an additional 999 names inscribed on the heritage floor. Created with the help of hundreds of volunteers over five years, "The Dinner Party" was one of the first major works of feminist art to enter the permanent collection of a major museum — it is now housed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, where it has been on permanent display since 2007. The work is considered a landmark of both feminist art and collaborative practice. Her New Mexico practice has continued to be prolific and wide-ranging, encompassing painting, sculpture, needlework, and large-scale installation. She has completed major public commissions and continued to make work that addresses gender, power, history, and the possibilities of collective creative action. Her recent retrospectives at major museums have brought new attention to the full scope of her career. Chicago is also a committed educator and has taught at institutions across the country, establishing the Feminist Art Program at CalArts in 1970 — the first program of its kind in the United States. Her writing, including "Through the Flower: My Struggle as a Woman Artist," remains essential reading for anyone interested in the history of feminist art and the conditions under which women artists have worked.