Getting Established
I have only been doing art (no art schools or degrees) since I was 40. I have two things going against me as an artist, being a woman, Why do we ignore female artists? and worse still an OLDER woman, Is the artworld ageist? Turner Prize accused of age discrimination.
Oh well! That's another story.
Am I established? I suppose that depends what the definition of being established is. According to this well written article at BmoreARt I am barely a mid level artist rather than an established one. I think blogging these last three years has been a HUGE part of helping in that regard. Luckily I enjoy blogging.
Feminism
Here is why I view some of the commentary about embroidery being a feminist statement as disturbing. It's not about people using art to make a feminist statement but reducing one medium, in this case embroidery, to nothing more than a feminist statement. That not only limits it being seen as an artistic statement, it relegates it to a lowly regarded status (womanly crafts) in the fine art world. The bigger question is why (as shana pointed out) the medium of embroidery is seen as dictating an artists feminism. Men have been doing embroidery for centuries in a professional capacity. What about all the men nowadays who do embroidery and cross stitch?
Perhaps it is an American viewpoint ( I don't know) since the development of embroidery in America has different roots, or just a contemporary view by as a society that is ignorant of it's history and cultural relevance.
Links
Manbroidery
Men who Embroider Flickr Group
Real Men Knit and Sew
Mr.XStitch
Cross Stitch and Men: Crossing the Gender Barrier
You hit the nail on the head Bill.
"You seem unperturbed and explore media as a vehicle for your content."
Again thanks to all for your comments.
