FSU Alum Zoe Charlton in Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibition
Over the past several months, a tidal wave of outrage and protest over workplace sexual assault, harassment, and gender inequality has been steadily swelling, accompanied by the hashtags #TimesUp and #MeToo. What began in Hollywood with studio head Harvey Weinstein and a staggering gender pay gap, has rapidly spread across other industries like media and politics. The dominoes are starting to fall in the art world as well, with a few high-profile individuals like former Artforum publisher Knight Landesman and artist Chuck Close coming under fire for their alleged abusive behavior.
Although women make up over 50% of Arts & Humanities graduates, and comprise 51% of visual artists in the US, they are woefully underrepresented on museum walls and in positions as curators and museum directors. It is no surprise then that female artists ranked #5 on Hyperallergic’s 2017 list of the most powerless people in the art world. In response to this condition, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) will host a conversation to explore what role the #MeToo movement can play in empowering women in the arts. Panelists include Hyperallergic co-founder and editor-in-chief Hrag Vartanian; curator and writer Yasmeen Siddiqui, founding director of Minerva Projects; art historian, critic, and curator Alpesh Kantilal Patel; Florida State University BFA artist Zoe Charlton; artist Tim Doud; and Courtney Fink, co-founder and executive director of Common Field. The conversation will be moderated by artist and educator Sharon Louden. To start things off, there will also be a performance from Future Clown, the alter ego of artist Rachel Mason, who lip-synced the 45th president’s 2017 inaugural address in a live-stream from LACE last year.
When: Wednesday, February 21, 7–9pm
Where: Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) (6522 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles)
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