INSURGENT MUSE: Life and Art at the Woman's Building

In 1973, artist Judy Chicago founded the Woman's Building in Los Angeles, "a public center for women's culture." During its existence (it closed in 1991), the Building was the backdrop for "a collision of history and politics and art," serving as a home for galleries, theater companies, a bookstore, a travel agency, a coffeehouse, a magazine, a thrift shop and NOW offices. Wolverton arrived at the Woman's Building in 1976, as a 22-year-old student. During her 13 years there, she worked as "a teacher, program director, exhibiting artist, publicist, typesetter, newsletter editor, grant writer, board member, development director, and eventually, executive director." In this astute retrospective account, she charts the Building's early "brazen, heady days" through "the years of backlash" to its "eventual demise" (due to financial and other problems). Her tale is profoundly personal and political, blending memoir with historical record and recounting not only Wolverton's love affairs with women and search for belonging in the lesbian community, but also her grand affair with an institution. She also shows an uncommon capacity to report both disappointments and triumphs with neither condescension nor glorification. Twenty years after the Building's heyday, Wolverton conducted an informal survey and learned of today's young lesbian artists' lack of knowledge about their predecessors. She adroitly brings them—and other unknowing readers—up to speed through lively and detailed accounts of the germinal activities, exhibits, installations and performance art with which she was involved. With this work, Wolverton makes a welcome, major contribution to lesbian, feminist and art archives. Photos. (Oct. 1)