Synopses & Reviews
"Only pioneer lesbian artist and activist Harmony Hammond could have come up with this fascinating book. Long awaited, and well worth waiting for, it is already a classic as it hits the shelves.
Lesbian Art in America fills in the gaping holes in feminist art history and is written with passion from a depth of experience and scholarship. As the first and only book of its kind, it is a must for all students of contemporary art."
--Lucy R. Lippard, author of
The Pink Glass Swan: Selected Feminist Essays on Art
"This much needed comprehensive survey of lesbian art since 1970 should become a classic. The exposure of such a tremendous variety of work, so richly grounded in the many political issues vital to women's liberation, should help to establish the credibility of the lesbian subject in art. It should also move this important body of work closer to inclusion in the mainstream of Western art."
--Jill Johnston, author of Lesbian Nation
"This is the book we have been waiting for, the first comprehensive history of lesbian art that firmly roots it in the seismic upheavals of feminist and queer liberation politics. Hammond is the consummate insider to the world she describes, the Vasari of lesbian art. Her impassioned and wonderfully readable tale should convince art lovers and historians of the import of this sadly neglected facet of American history, even as it convinces queer historians and theorists of the centrality of art to our developing social landscape."
--Jonathan David Katz, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual
Studies, City College of San Francisco
"Harmony Hammond's book is a rare combination of copious research, passionate convictions, and sophisticated knowledge of current theoretical debates-the result is a treasure trove of information, politics, and ideas about contemporary lesbian art in America."
--Moira Roth, Trefethen Professor of Art History, Mills College, co-author with Jonathan Katz of Difference/Indifference: Musings on Post Modernism, Marcel Duchamp and John Cage.
"This is pioneer work. That rare and precious thing: other books will follow now. But this is the first."
--Kate Millett, artist and author of Sexual Politics
Synopsis
The first history of lesbian art in the United States, documenting works since 1970.
Synopsis
The first history of lesbian art in the United States, this volume documents works since 1970 within the context of gay culture and political activism. Authoritative and engaging, this is a "from the trenches" story of which women made what, when, and where. Hammond moves from the mainstream art world to alternative venues, weaving a compelling narrative complete with critical and theoretical discourse. Profiles of 18 prominent lesbian artists, from Kate Millett and Joan Snyder to Deborah Kass and Catherine Opie, complete this groundbreaking contribution to contemporary art history.
About the Author
A member of the first generation of post-Stonewall, gay and lesbian artists, H
armony Hammond was a founder of the pioneering feminist gallery A.I.R. in 1972 and a cofounder of
Heresies magazine in 1976. She is now on the faculty of the art department of the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Table of Contents
Kate Millett -- Louise Fishman -- Joan Snyder -- Fran Winant -- Janet Cooling -- Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie -- Judith F. Baca -- Zoe Leonard -- Laura Aguilar -- Hollis Sigler -- Harmony Hammond -- Linda Matalon -- Millie Wilson -- Deborah Kass -- Nicole Eisenman -- Catherine Opie -- Hillary Leone and Jennifer Macdonald -- Mary Patten.