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Dr.
Michelle Moravec speaks on feminist art
By Kimberly Wallmeier '06
On Jan. 31, Villanova University’s department of
women’s studies hosted Michelle Moravec, who has a doctorate in U.S.
History, for a lecture titled “Protest, Propaganda and Provocations:
Feminist Art and Violence Against Women.” She recounted the early efforts of
the Women’s Building in Los Angeles, CA, which sought to promote
collaboration and networking of the many disparate women’s rights groups
across the country. Moravec, now a history professor at Rosemont College,
began her involvement with the Women’s Building in 1991 when she was hired
to take an oral history of the Los Angeles, Calif. center upon its
dissolution. She presented the work of two performance artists, Suzanne Lacy
and Leslie Lebowitz.
Lacy and Lebowitz took their art “to the people” in
a way that was immediately legible and had the ability to raise
consciousness, engage the viewer and transform one’s opinion. Moravec
presented three of Lacy and Lebowitz’s more memorable pieces: “3 Weeks in
May,” “Record Companies Drag the Feet” and “In Mourning and in Rage.”
“3 Weeks in May” in May 1977, sought to address the
issue of violence against women and to change the mindset that a woman was
somehow to blame for acts of violence against her. The defined goals of this
piece were threefold: protest media sensationalism of rape, replace the
negative female image with one of empowerment, bring together anti-rape
organizations available to Los Angeles women.
In “Record Companies Drag the Feet,” Lacy and
Lebowitz were targeting misogynistic images in the music industry in bands
such as The Rolling Stones and Kiss. They believed that “images of violence
against women actually helped to create acts of violence.” Lacy and Lebowitz
organized a boycott of certain record companies and staged a protest at the
base of a Kiss billboard on Sunset Ave. Their strategy included using simple
images, bold text, a one-angle shot for photographers, and a press
conference to reinforce their message.
The final piece presented by Moravec, “In Mourning
and in Rage,” was organized as a response to the media coverage of Los
Angeles’ Hillside Strangler. The coverage of these murders sensationalized
the fact that the victims were all prostitutes. Lacy and Lebowitz responded
with a demonstration at City Hall in Dec. 1977. The demonstration sought to
prove that these acts of violence could happen to any woman, regardless of
profession, race, age or sexual experience. They demanded the city provide
free self-defense classes, include a rape hotline number in the emergency
section of the phonebook, and use the reward money for the strangler’s
capture to provide services for violence against women. All of these demands
were met.
Moravec concluded her lecture by asking the audience
to consider whether they would want their name published if they were the
victim of a sexual assault. Currently, there is a gentleman’s agreement in
the media not to disclose the victim’s name. Moravec wants to know why. If
we truly believe that there is no blame on the victim, then why do most
women say they would not want their name published? Moravec hypothesized
that this proves we still place some blame on the rape victim for the
violent acts committed against them.
For more
information on the Women’s Building visit www.womensbuilding.org. Moravec is
currently researching virtual communities for pregnant women and mothers. |
