“Many younger women don’t know what we did,” says sculptor Barbara Zucker, who co-founded A.I.R. Gallery—the first artist-run gallery for women in the United States—along with Susan Williams, in 1972. “In a sense, that’s a great thing. They should just be making work. They should just be recognized.”
It’s largely thanks to the activism of feminist artists like Zucker and Judy Chicago in the 1970s that the art world is beginning to make strides toward gender equality today. Here, Zucker is joined by artist and activist Faith Ringgold, figurative painter Joan Semmel, early new media pioneer Lynn Hershman Leeson, and art advisor Todd Levin. They reflect on the barriers that women faced back then, and the women’s support networks that helped to advance their cause.
Featuring (in order of appearance) Barbara Zucker, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Faith Ringgold, Joan Semmel, and Todd Levin
Directed by Lina Plioplyte
Producer: Kerry Girvin
Director of Photography: Autumn Eakin
Gaffer: Jarrod Kloiber
Audio: Kat Jirles, Fiona McBain, and Taylor Roy
Assistant Camera: Daniel Lam
Production Coordinator: Chad Zweifel
Editor and Graphics: Jane Parisi
Production Team for Artsy:
Marina Cashdan, Head of Editorial and Creative Director
Owen Dodd, Designer
Tess Thackara, Senior Editor
Molly Gottschalk, Features Producer
Demie Kim, Editorial Associate
Special thanks to Girlgaze
