CHICAGO, JUDY

CHICAGO, JUDY (1939– ). U.S. artist, author, and feminist. Born Judy Cohen, Chicago took her surname from her city of birth to eschew the patriarchal name she was given as an infant and later as a wife. At the age of three she began drawing, and at eight she attended classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. She received a B.A. (1962) and an M.A. (1964) in art from the University of California, Los Angeles. Chicago and the painter Miriam Schapiro jointly founded the Feminist Art Program at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia in 1971. The pair's initial installation, Womanhouse, opened in a renovated mansion in Hollywood (1972). In 1974, Chicago began conceptualizing The Dinner Party: A Symbol of Our Heritage, the purpose of which was to raise awareness of a forgotten women's history in a male-dominated society. Executed between 1974 and 1979 with the assistance of more than 400 collaborators, this multimedia installation incorporated traditional women's work such as needlepoint and china painting. It has been seen by over one million viewers in six countries. Birth Project (1980–85), a needlework series that emerged after Chicago noticed the lack of imagery depicting the moment of birth, was followed by Powerplay (1982–87), a multimedia endeavor that explored the effects of male gender constructs. A growing interest in her Jewish heritage led to Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light (1985–93). Holocaust Project first showed in October 1993 at Chicago's Spertus Museum and subsequently traveled throughout the United States until 2002. This installation culminated eight years of research and exploration, which included extensive reading on the subject, visits to concentration camps, and a trip to Israel. Stained glass and tapestry designed by the artist and executed by collaborators, Chicago's paintings, and her husband Donald Woodman's photography combine with information panels and an audiotape to guide the viewer through the installation. Chicago chose tapestry as one of the media for the work "to emphasize how the Holocaust grew out of the very fabric of Western civilization." The 4 1/2 by 18-foot tapestry, titled The Fall, shows the disintegration of rationality. Beginning with an interpretation of the Pergammon Altar, the narrative culminates with victims being forced into camp ovens. Resolutions: A Stitch in Time (1994–2000) again employed needlework, along with Chicago's paintings, to illustrate and interpret familiar proverbs in a novel way. Chicago has written seven books, including The Dinner Party: A Symbol of Our Heritage (1979) and Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light (1993), and two autobiographies, Through the Flower: My Struggle as a Woman Artist (1975) and Beyond the Flower: The Autobiography of a Feminist Artist (1996). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: E. Lucie-Smith, Judy Chicago: An American Vision (2000); L. Lippard, Judy Chicago (2002). (Samantha Baskind (2nd ed.)