Exquisite Acts and Everyday Rebellions is the title of CalArts’ feminist art project, an investigation of feminist thought and practice on campus. With taglines such as collaboration, artist as activist, collapsing the space between art and society, revisionist representations, temporal and dematerialized art making, questions constructions of gender, intervention, and deconstruction of the lived experience, the entire project consisted of a weeklong art exhibition in the CalArts Main Gallery, numerous films and performances, and a day long symposium. The symposium’s panels covered topics such as “Strategies For Contemporary Feminism” and “Third Wave Feminisms,” and included panelists such as Connie Butler, Catherine Lord, Emily Roysdon, Faith Wilding, Andrea Bowers, Suzanne Lacy, and Martha Rosler.

In conjunction with this large project, seven MFA program writers read from their own work, addressing feminism through a wide variety of approaches. The show was organized by Nicholas Grider and Emily Eklund and readers were Allison Carter, Stephanie Martin Arguello, Sarah Wang, Janice Lee, Danielle Adair, Frances Louie, and Andrea Lambert.

Nicholas introduced the night with a few statements on the state of feminism today, how the word itself is still up for grabs, and how there is no one operational definition of feminist writing. As he declared his hopes that the night’s readings would address a variety of approaches on what it meant to write as a feminist and to write through feminism, the night indeed proved those words. Allison Carter started off the night with her own thoughts on the significance of being a feminist writer in today’s context, proclaiming that feminist writing does not have to necessarily preach feminist ideology. Instead she advocated the belief in the authority of one’s voice as a female writer. The night continued. Allison read from an ongoing project on twins and a perpetual motion machine, Stephanie Martin Arguello presented a play/ performance on George W. Bush and immigration, Sarah Wang offered ruminations on numerous abortions and blood clots the size of oranges, Janice Lee talked about the existence of hungry ghosts, Danielle Adair read of body art, risks, and a final handshake, Frances Louie “talked back” to Salinger, and Andrea Lambert wove a ready-to-marry girlfriend who does not look good in white.

Indeed, it is apparent that the discourse of and dialogue between feminist writers is ongoing, and what it means to be a “feminist writer” is not a rigid category. Do feminist writers write ideologically? Or do they simply speak from a sincere perspective, a point of view and voice that are their own.

Above Image: Installation view of Exquisite Acts and Everyday Rebellions.
Artworks (L to R): Meekyung Lee, Barbie, 2006, 60in. x 72in., Oil on Canvas; Michiko Yao, FOREVER BUD, 2006, 23 by 17 in. each, digital print; Alex Olson, Why Is A Dress, 2007, Mixed media on canvas, 30″ x 24″; Bianca D’Amico, Moneyshot, 2007, Mixed Media Video Installation