Women Artists, Art and History

Artist Group 93 at AU

Really glad to be with the artists of Group 93 at American University today. We are so fortunate to have Professor Luciana Penay (retired) lead the group and comment on all the work the artists bring in. Luciano has an extrordinary "eye" and is an exciting teacher. He was the Chair of my MFA thesis committee at AU in the mid-1970s and he is still opening "windows for seeing" with his insightful comments about the art works.

Equally important the artists in the group have long histories in the DC art world - especially connected with the 1970s women artists movement. We know each other well and we know and appreciate each other's work. Our hair color varies with white heads predominating - but all of us have well educated "eyes" and we know how to appreciate art and talk "art speak."We are a lively, laughing and articulate group who love to make art and to talk about it.

We meet in a studio at the Katzen Art Center at AU when Luciano is in DC from Chile and its like touching home base.

Our deeproots in the DC art world was watered today when Lucy Blanstein brought out this catalog from "From the Center", a major show at the Washington Women's Arts Center and this was the first catalog WWAC published. Ah the memories.

1978 WWAC exhibit catalog and 1978 show invitation

The invitation is from a show that Claudia Vess and I produced at the Stephen Mott House on Capitol Hill. Caudia and I met in an MFA painting class at AU. She was a recent graduate from Smith - and I was a recent graduate from local Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross. Despite the dozen years between us we hit it off immediately and have been friends and colleagues every since. Claudia runs Group 93 and keeps us all on track.

I had not thought about this catalog in a long time.

Linear Series #12  Acrylic on Paper

Now I know I will have to hunt up my copies of it and put them in a safe place.

Schoettler statement from the catalog.

I am proud and grateful to have been a part of the show and the Washington Women's Arts Center. The Center was a place where women artists worked together to break the glass ceiling for women in the arts and help each other learn how to "make it in the male favoring art world."

We made history there.