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ENTITY reports on judy chicago quotes about art

Judy Chicago wasn’t just any artist. She was a key figure in pioneering feminist art and wasn’t afraid to stir up controversy with her images.

Her dedication to feminism started as a young child. She told LA Weekly, “I was raised in a family that believed in equal rights for women, which was very unusual for that time. The bad news was they never bothered to tell me that not everyone else believed in that, too.”

So, in the 70s she joined the feminist art movement with her installation piece “The Dinner Project.” The art installation featured a table with 39 painted plates. Each plate represented a different woman to tell the history of women in Western Civilization.

In the 80s she then focused on the topic of birth and creation. With her piece “The Birth Project” featured a series of images turned into needlework pieces.

Her next big art piece was “The Holocaust Project: From Darkness to Light.” This art installation featured paintings, tapestry and stained glass pieces by Chicago herself and photographs by her husband Donald Woodman.

Chicago also pioneered a feminist art and art education program at California State University, Fresno in the early 70s.

The artist was a strong believer in bringing major issues to the forefront with her art.

Born Judith Sylvia Cohen, she even changed her last name to the city of her birth to separate herself from the traditional system of bearing the name of a father or husband.

Her work as an artist, educator, feminist and writer made her a respected and celebrated female artist.

For her 75th birthday, various institutions and galleries around the country held exhibitions honoring her work. Her birthday was celebrated for almost a year. She even presented her project “A Butterfly for Brooklyn,” a complex pyrotechnic work in Prospect Park, to end her birthday celebration. Twelve thousand people attended the event, and at the end of the performance, they all burst out into applause followed by singing “Happy Birthday.”

Even well into her 70s, Chicago was still creating. She went into art to change the world and she never gave up on that dream.

ENTITY compiled a list of famous Judy Chicago quotes to remind you to never stop creating.

1 On your creations

“You shouldn’t have to justify your work.”

2 On deviating from the norm

“With my early work I got eviscerated by my male professors, and so you learned to disguise your impulses, as many women have done. And that’s definitely changed.”

3 On accomplishing your goals

“I set my sights upon becoming the kind of artist who would make a contribution to art history.”

4 On people who force stereotypes on women

“I go to make art as who I am as a person. The fact that I am a woman comes into play maybe in the kinds of things I’m interested in or in the way I structure a canvas.”

5 On the lack of importance of gender in art

“Ah, well, do I wish that we lived in a world where gender didn’t figure so prominently? Of course. Do I even think about myself as a woman when I go to make art? Of course not.”

6 On feminism

“People have accepted the media’s idea of what feminism is, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right or true or real. Feminism is not monolithic. Within feminism, there is an array of opinions.”

7 On the future of her art

“I feel like I have at least begun to make a contribution, but my most significant concern has to do with whether my actual art will be preserved for future generations or be erased.”

8 On the progression of women in art

“There’s no question that many more women artists are showing worldwide now than they were when I was a young woman, and that’s really great.”

9 On breaking ceilings for women

“Even if I am simply one more woman laying one more brick in the foundation of a new and more humane world, it is enough to make me rise eagerly from my bed each morning and face the challenge of breaking the historic silence that has held women captive for so long.”

10 On remembering where you came from

“Remember our heritage is our power; we can know ourselves and our capacities by seeing that other women have been strong.”

11 On being an artist

“The art world made me an outsider. Of course, isolation is essential to the creative act. You have to be with yourself, with your ideas.”

Chicago sacrificed a lot for her career as an artist. From feeling lonely to not having children, she dedicated herself to her art. But this is what made her such an amazing artist. Chicago teaches us that to succeed, you have to invest in yourself.

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