Australian Women Artists: The Struggle for Equity

‘There have been many battles fought to gain acceptance, acknowledgment and respect for women in the arts... though, this remains an ongoing challenge’

- J.Caust, 2018, 56

There is no doubt that the representation, celebration, and acknowledgement of women in the arts has improved dramatically in recent times. However, as Caust’s statement suggests there is still a way ahead. As discussed by Linda Nochlin in her 1973 essay Why have there been no great women artists?, the western art history canon was built upon the misogynistic myth of ‘the Great Artist’(p.7). The white western male viewpoint was unconsciously believed to be the only acceptable and relevant viewpoint for the art historian (Nochlin, 1973, p.1). Nonetheless, from the dedicated work of women like Nochlin, Germaine Greer, the Guerrilla Girls, and many more, there is now a tangible taste of gender equity in the arts. Australian art initatives such as the SHELIA foundation and the Countess Report are continuing to demand space for better representation of women and non-binary artists. As a means of contributing to this conversation, this essay proposes that the direction that must be taken to further progress in this field is one of broader accessibility and inclusion to this dialogue. The arts industry is known to be exclusive, classist, and prestigious, creating boundaries against the wider Australian population. The conversation of the work, history and lives of Australian women artists must be shared beyond academic circles. The wider public needs to be invited to contribute to this narrative to be truly inclusive, and to bring the far-reaching recognition that is deserved to our great Australian women artists.

Before delving into a discussion of Australia’s contemporary art scene, it is poignant to consider the foundation upon which it was built as a means of understanding the progress of the past and the direction the future must take. The history of women’s involvement in art has been, until recently, limited to the passive subject of male desire. That is not to say that women did not create art, but in the words of art historian Griselda Pollock (1988), ‘most art history systemically obliterated women artists from the record’ (p.23) despite their contribution playing ‘a structural role in the discourse of art history’ (p.24). Women were not welcome among the canon of great male artists (Caust, 2018, p.47) and were instead confined to being represented not as themselves but ‘solely as a projection of male desire and needs, as inaccessible muse, innocent child, castrating temptress or object of sadistic gratification’ (Honour & Fleming, 1982, p.812). Femininity was established against the dominant norm of masculinity and thus existed without an independent set of principles (Threadgold & Cranny-Francis, 1990, p.61). It was against this prejudice that feminist artists have since pushed for the recognition they are deserving of. The rise of second wave feminism in particular provoked a widespread change in thinking across the western art world. Interrogations into the misogynistic constructs of western society reveals that creative endeavours of any kind remained ‘stultifying, oppressive, and discouraging to all those - women included - who did not have the good fortune to be born white, preferably middle class and, above all, male.’ (Nochlin, 1973, p.7) It was these interrogations that have paved the way for further progress in the contemporary Australian art scene.

Today, the Australian arts industry is a much more inclusive place for women. The 2019 Countess Report shows that across 184 institutions and 13,000 artists, ‘the representation of women has significantly improved’ (p.6). Since 2016 there has been a 10-20% increase in the representation of women artists across artist-run spaces, commercial galleries, contemporary art organisations, public galleries, major museums and university galleries (The Countess Report, 2019, p.6). However, considering 71% of art school graduates are women and only 34% of collections and exhibitions in state galleries and museums represent women (see Fig.1 & Fig.2), ‘it is still an uphill climb’ (Caust, 2018, p.40). In addition to this, there is an issue that is often neglected in the dialogue surrounding increasing the representation, acknowledgement and awareness of women in the Australian art scene. It is an issue of exclusion and lack of accessibility. The arts are often aligned with the ‘cultural preference of the “elite”...setting themselves against “shallow” commercial popular culture’ (O’Connor in Glow, 2010, p.587). Studies have shown that people most likely to participate in ‘public culture activities such as visiting museums, galleries and libraries, are more likely to be older, highly educated, and with a higher income and class origin’ (Mason & McCarthy, 2006, p.23). As Bourdieu (1991) concluded ‘the love of art is the clear mark of the chosen’, that public art institutions ‘reinforce for some the feeling of belonging and for others the feeling of exclusion’ (in Mason & McCarthy p.21). There is incredible progress within the Australian arts industry but it is progress within an exclusionary, arguably isolated bubble. Active efforts need to be made to translate the statistics, writings, and research to be accessible for the wider Australian public to join the dialogue.

If the goal is to broaden the gender diversity within the Australian arts scene, then it must also be a goal to broaden the diversity of their audience. As J. Brody (2020) notes, ‘diversity encompasses many different categories’ (p.348). The true intersectionality of diversity must be strived for rather than preferencing one social/cultural group over another. Following the research that only specific demographics engage with major art institutions (Mason & McCarthy, 2006, p.23) the first step in addressing diversity is ‘working to increase the representation of underrepresented groups’ (Brody, 2020, p.349) through practices of active inclusion. In audience engagement research the importance of relationship marketing in the arts is overwhelmingly agreed upon. The Australian Council’s 2010 report More than Bums on Seats found that there are ‘significant opportunities to build Australian arts audiences’ (p.2) through ‘brokering a relationship between people and art’ (Ragsdale, 2008 in Glow, 2010, p.589) in a manner that ‘provides opportunities for dialogue’ (Glow, 2012, p.133). The dialogue surrounding Australian women artists is unconsciously limiting itself by staying within the walls of galleries, museums and universities. These audience engagement practices should be applied not only to the exhibitions and artworks of Australian women artists, but also to the wider conversation beyond this space. Projects that are directly marketing towards children, cultural minorities, and people who aren’t haven’t received tertiary education should be funded to translate the incredible work of historians, researchers, activists, and artists to be accessible for people outside these circles. Authentic relationships need to be fostered between the stories of Australian women artists and the wider Australian public who are currently not in the conversation.

Australia must improve its accessibility in its art scene to break down the classist, sexist and racist barriers that it was built upon. The inclusion and celebration of historical and current women artists has gained tremendous traction in recent decades, in both Australia and across the western world. With a goal to broaden gender diversity in galleries, museums and arts institutions across the board, art historians such as Linda Nochlin, and Griselda Pollock, and initiatives such as The Countess Report and the SHELIA Foundation have provided incredible writings, research, and data in this area. It is now time to move this dialogue from an academic and art ‘literate’ sphere into the conversations of wider society to be truly inclusive, accessible and celebratory of diversity.

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Figures

Fig.1

Graduates of Visual Arts Degrees in 2018. From the data presented by The Countess Report 2019.

Fig.2

State gallery exhibited artists in 2018. From the data presented by The Countess Report 2019.

References

Australia Council for the Arts. (2010). More than bums on seats: Australian participation in the arts.

Brody, J. (2019). Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts in America: Strategies and practices. In W. Byrnes and A. Brkić (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Arts Management (pp.348-362). Abingdon, Oxon; New York.

Caust, J. (2018). Arts and leadership: An overview. In: Arts Leadership in Contemporary Contexts (pp.3-23). Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge.

Caust, J. (2018). Women and arts leadership. In: Arts Leadership in Contemporary Contexts (pp.40-61). Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge.

Glow, H. (2010). Taking a critical approach to arts management, Asia Pacific Journal of Arts and Cultural Management, 7(2), pp.585–94.

Honour, H., and Fleming, J. (1982) World History of Art (7th ed.). Laurence King Publishing Ltd.

Mason, D., and McCarthy, C. (2006) ‘The feeling of exclusion’: Young peoples’ perceptions of art galleries. Museum Management and Curatorship, 21(1), pp.20-31

Nochlin, L. (1973). Why have there been no great women artists?. Art and Sexual Politics: women’s liberation, women artists, and art history, pp.1 – 43.

Pollock, G. (1988). Vision & Difference (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Prcevich, A., RIchardson, E., and Samuels, M. (2019) The Countess Report 2019. The Countess Report.

Threadgold, T, and Cranny-Francis, A. (1990) Feminine/Masculine and Representation, (1st ed.).