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http://adht.parso ns.edu/reco mmends/2013/10/bro o klyn-museum-permanent-co llectio n-spo tlight-judy-chicago /

Brooklyn Museum Permanent Collection Spotlight: Judy

Chicago
T he Elizabeth A. Sackler Center f or Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum has been the permanent home f or
Judy Chicagos iconic Dinner Party since 2007. T he piece toured six countries on three continents bef ore
f inding its home, as many of us have, in Brooklyn. In addition to housing Chicagos groundbreaking work of
conceptual f eminist art, the Sackler Center is a place f or education: learning when and why dif f erent f orms of
f eminist art came into being at various times throughout history is just as important as showcasing the works
themselves. In this way, Chicagos Dinner Party does more than inundate an audience with strong imagery; it
acts as a visual timeline in itself , supplementing the historical and educational goals of the Sackler Centers
guiding philosophies.
The Dinner Party f eatures a triangular table, each side measuring 49 f eet, resting on a tile f loor inscribed with
the names of 999 mythical and historical women. Since the installation is designed to provoke a chronology of
f emale f igures in a visually stimulating way, walking around its entirety really does register an important part of
a f orgotten history that the Sackler Center is trying to surf ace. Along each side of the table are 13 table
settings, culminating in a total of 39 settings f or historys guests of honor:
Wing One of the table begins in prehistory with the Primordial Goddess and continues chronologically with the
development of Judaism; it then moves to early Greek societies to the Roman Empire, marking the decline in
womens power, signified by Hypatias place setting. Wing Two represents early Christianity through the
Reformation, depicting women who signify early expressions of the fight for equal rights, from Marcella to Anna
van Schurman. Wing Three begins with Anne Hutchinson and addresses the American Revolution, Suffragism,
and the movement toward womens increased individual creative expression, symbolized at last by Georgia
OKeeffe.[1]

Walking around the table f eels like looking f or f riends in a crowded restaurant; eyes move f rom table setting to
table setting searching f or a f amiliar f ace. T he 39 individually designed place settings are elaborate and
intricate, and they provocatively evoke something deeply spiritual about the individual seated there. T he 999
names etched on the f loors tiles, while not garnering the same amount of attention and detail, are
nonetheless chronologically and ideologically located. As the eyes trace f rom plate to f loor and f rom one
segment of history to the next, the question inevitably arises: How did Chicago choose who to seat at the table?

Seeing an idol or personal hero relegated to a spot on the f loor, opposed to having earned a spot at the table,
leaves a f eeling of slight betrayal. T he urge to argue why so-and-so deserves a spot in the main arena
bubbles up inside, at least until part two of the reaction sets in, and the viewer realizes that the anger f elt at
the thought of someone getting lef t behind or treated unf airly is exactly what was actually felt and suppressed
during the times Chicago is recounting. Even though her piece serves to invite dinner guests f orgotten by
history, the juxtaposition between those at the table and those decorating the f loor provokes the idea that the
work and f ight of f eminist art and ideals is f ar f rom over. More elaborate place settings at the table accompany
the move f rom the Ref ormation to modernity. Just as a f lower blooms in the spring, the viewer walks through
time and thus traces a visual representation of a f emale spirit which grows more colorf ul and expressive as
social and political climates change.

Each tile was hand-cast and hand-sanded at the China Boutique outside of Los Angeles. The tiles were repeatedly
fired with rainbow luster as well as with the gold luster used for the names. The process of creating the Heritage
Floor took over two years. Potential names were researched by over twenty members of The Dinner Partys
research team, headed by Diane Gelon and Ann Isolde. Out of three thousand names compiled, 999 were
selected, their inclusion decided on by three criteria: did the woman make a worthwhile contribution to society; had
she attempted to improve conditions for women; did her life/work exemplify a significant aspect of womens history
or provide a role model for a more egalitarian society? The chosen Heritage Floor names correlate to each of the
39 place settings by commonality of experience, historic contribution, time period, and/or geography. The Heritage
Floor serves as a visual representation of the vast contributions women have made to every aspect of history.
Names of goddesses, mythological figures, religious figures, government leaders, entrepreneurs, writers, artists,
musicians, actors, dancers, filmmakers, architects, scholars, historians, educators, military figures, athletes,
physicians, scientists, explorers, philanthropists, activists, and suffragettes, primarily from western civilization, from
prehistory to the 20th century, can be found on The Dinner Partys Heritage Floor.[2]
Six woven banners serve as a procession, a welcome, into the dining room. T he banners were created using
the Aubusson tapestry technique af ter Chicago discovered that women were prohibited f rom using the highwarp looms at the height of the techniques popularity during the Renaissance.
Woven into the banners are a series of phrases intended to convey Chicagos vision for a equalized world, one in
which womens history and perspectives are fully recognized and integrated into all aspects of human
civilization.[3]
Judy Chicago pioneered Feminist Art and art education in the early 1970s.[4] In the mid to late 70s, her
masterpiece, the Dinner Party, was created with the methodical research and dedicated help of hundreds of
volunteers.[5] T he interaction shes set up to f oster between visitor and work begins with this ushering in by
the subtle messages of the banners, bef ore one is conf ronted with the large, triangular dinner table which is
shocking not only because of its size, but its shape:

When Chicago began thinking of historical precedents for the table, she was immediately drawn to Leonardo da
Vincis The Last Supper, representing Christ at his last meal surrounded by his twelve disciples. As Chicago
explained, I became amused by the notion of doing a sort of reinterpretation of that all-male event from the point
of view of those who had traditionally been expected to prepare the food, then silently disappear from the picture
or, in this case, from the picture plane.4
The Dinner Party makes noise about advocating f or the surf acing of a lost history while at the same time
maintaining a certain silence. Despite the ornateness, the empty plates and perf ectly f olded napkins give rise
to a certain kind of emptiness. T hough we can imagine hypothetical conversations that would take place here,
the stillness and perf ection are antithetical to a real dinner party where conversations overlap and the sounds
of silverware provide the background noise. T he tragedy itself of having prepared an elaborate party f or
guests who never show up becomes the partys hostess. Chicagos successf ul attempt to revitalize and so
propel f eminist history doesnt go without this remembrance, and perhaps regret, f or a past we can only do so
much to f ully resuscitate.
- Amie Z immer
Images courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum
[1] https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascf a/dinner_party/place_settings/
[2] https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascf a/dinner_party/heritage_f loor/index.php
[3] https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascf a/dinner_party/entry_banners/index.php
[4] https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascf a/dinner_party/judy_chicago.php
[5] https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascf a/dinner_party/judy_chicago.php