Video Herstories

As part of the research for the exhibition, a series of interviews with women artists and writers involved in the Woman's Building was commissioned by Otis College.

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The Woman’s Building History: Rachel Rosenthal

Rachel Rosenthal, a winner of OBIE, Rockefeller, Getty, NEA and CAA awards among others, is an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of feminist and ecological performance art. Her revolutionary performance technique integrates text, movement, voice, choreography, improvisation, dramatic lighting and wildly imaginative sets into an unforgettable theatrical experience. She is currently Artistic Director of The Rachel Rosenthal Company's TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theatre Ensemble, and at 84 still teaches her signature brand of improvisational theater at her studio space. Rachel received a Vesta award from the Woman's Building in 1983 and often contributed to exhibitions and performed at the Woman's Building. The School of the Art Institute in Chicago awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1999. In the year 2000, the City of Los Angeles awarded her the title of "Living Cultural Treasure."

rachelrosenthal.org/rr/home.html

This video was commissioned by Otis College of Art and Design for the exhibition "Doin' It in Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building" (1973-1991) in the Ben Maltz Gallery, October 1 January 28, 2012 and is part of an ongoing series of oral histories about the Woman's Building partially funded by the Getty Foundation.
The exhibition is part of a "Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A.1945-1980," a Fall 2011 citywide initiative sponsored by the Getty Foundation.

The Woman's Building History: Ruth Weisberg

Professor Ruth Weisberg teaches drawing and printmaking at the USC Roski School of Fine Arts. From 1995 to 2010, she served as dean of the Roski School, and, before that, she served as chair of the school's studio arts department and as acting associate dean for the School of Architecture and Fine Arts.

Weisberg works primarily in painting, drawing and printmaking. Her work is widely exhibited nationally and internationally, with her most recent exhibitions including "Ruth Weisberg: Unfurled" at the Skirball Cultural Institute, Los Angeles, and "Michigan Collects Weisberg" at Eastern Michigan University. Additionally, Weisberg's work is in the collections of major museums, including the Getty Center; Norton Simon Museum; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Smithsonian Institution; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Whitney Museum of American Art; Jewish Museum, New York; Art Institute of Chicago; Harvard University; Biblioteca Nazionale d'Italia (Rome); and Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.

She has written more than 60 articles, reviews and catalogue essays, and regularly lectures and curates exhibitions. She has received numerous honors, including the USC Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition Award for Creative Work, the College Art Association's Distinguished Teaching of Art Award, a Senior Research Fulbright combined with a visiting artist residency at the American Academy in Rome, a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar, and a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from Hebrew Union College.

She received her M.A. from the University of Michigan, and her Laurea in Painting and Printmaking from the Academia di Belle Arti, Perugia, Italy. This video is part of an ongoing series of Oral Histories about early feminist artists.
This video was commissioned by Otis College of Art and Design for the exhibition "Doin' It in Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building" (1973-1991) in the Ben Maltz Gallery, October 1 January 28, 2012 and is part of an ongoing series of oral histories about the Woman's Building partially funded by the Getty Foundation.
The exhibition is part of a "Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A.1945-1980," a Fall 2011 citywide initiative sponsored by the Getty Foundation.

The Woman’s Building History: Anne Isolde

Otis College: Doin' It In Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building: Weekend of October 15-16, 2011: Still Doin' It: Fanning the Flames of the Woman's Building:
Share a Memory of the Woman's Building During the Weekend of October 15-16, 2011, women gave their memories of their experiences at the Woman's Building. Some were there and participated in numerous activities, some were influenced by it.

The Woman’s Building History: Chutney Gunderson

Otis College: Doin' It In Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building: Weekend of October 15-16, 2011: Still Doin' It: Fanning the Flames of the Woman's Building:
Share a Memory of the Woman's Building During the Weekend of October 15-16, 2011, women gave their memories of their experiences at the Woman's Building. Some were there and participated in numerous activities, some were influenced by it.

The Woman’s Building History: Jenay Meraz

Otis College: Doin' It In Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building: Weekend of October 15-16, 2011: Still Doin' It: Fanning the Flames of the Woman's Building:
Share a Memory of the Woman's Building During the Weekend of October 15-16, 2011, women gave their memories of their experiences at the Woman's Building. Some were there and participated in numerous activities, some were influenced by it.

The Woman’s Building History: Julia Paoli

Otis College: Doin' It In Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building: Weekend of October 15-16, 2011: Still Doin' It: Fanning the Flames of the Woman's Building: Share a Memory of the Woman's Building During the Weekend of October 15-16, 2011, women gave their memories of their experiences at the Woman's Building. Some were there and participated in numerous activities, some were influenced by it..

The Woman’s Building History: Kathleen Forrest

Otis College: Doin' It In Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building: Weekend of October 15-16, 2011: Still Doin' It: Fanning the Flames of the Woman's Building:
Share a Memory of the Woman's Building During the Weekend of October 15-16, 2011, women gave their memories of their experiences at the Woman's Building. Some were there and participated in numerous activities, some were influenced by it.

The Woman’s Building History: Katja Beisantz

Otis College: Doin' It In Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building: Weekend of October 15-16, 2011: Still Doin' It: Fanning the Flames of the Woman's Building:
Share a Memory of the Woman's Building During the Weekend of October 15-16, 2011, women gave their memories of their experiences at the Woman's Building. Some were there and participated in numerous activities, some were influenced by it