... Gee, I think he was on to something.
Don't get me wrong: I rarely give the topic of gender bias in art a single thought. I just carry on, day to day, as a returning professional artist, and, as far as I know, this issue has not impacted me much except by my own earlier choices to not buckle down and stay with it.
But now and then I notice something that makes me peer up to see if there are some very real some glass ceilings on a woman's artistic success. If so, we women might want to come to terms with that — somewhere short of a sex-change operation, I would hope. (I am, however, starting to toy with a somewhat accomplished and highly self-esteemed male alter-ego I call "Steven Pitcairn." Like the name?
And I am looking for a stylish but glass-proof helmet that could be useful in the event that I should ever bump up against that ceiling a little too hard).
No, being a woman is fine by me, and I am generally quite fond of men.
In fact, some of my best friends are men.
Honestly, I have nothing against men.
Why, I'd even be fine with it if our daughters were to date men (though their husbands might frown on it).
As even the blindfolded can see, I bring up this delicate topic gingerly. I sure hope I don' alienate or discourage anyone, generate controversy or put a negative cast on my professional image. If so, I'll ask "Steve" to handle that; after all, he's a guy and he has a thicker skin. But as a woman and an artist, I'm big on harmony. So if this blog upsets any apple carts, I may just take it down. Art should be fun. Otherwise it's not worth it.
In addition to the School of Hard Knocks, my credentials for this topic include 4 years in graduate school in social psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. My main work there was researching and teaching on the topic of sex roles before I dropped out with an M.S. to become a festival artist (looks good on an art sign).
In fact, most of the female majority in my program dropped out short of a PhD, due to lack of support from the male profs, but we'll save that for another day.
Enough of my typically-female, apologetic, don't-burn-me-at-the-stake-please intro.
Onward and upward. Here's how I got onto this topic that has now consumed two days and kept me from painting. (Sooner or later every artist must realize that there is more to life than painting.):
This morning I opened Art of the West and saw an artist's memorium. An accompanying photo of a large tribe of his art friends quickly revealed that all were men. "Ok, so what?" Steve says, "Let a guy have his buds. Anyway, he's dead and gone now."
Ok. But, GUYS, I want to tell you, this little snapshot made my Inner Artist feel
Left Out of the Picture.
And so into my trouble-making little mind there began to drift a lifetime of memories suggesting generic exclusion to women in art. For example:
• I visit a museum exhibit of Cowboy Artists and learn that women were just simply not allowed in this group.
• I attend a plein air festival with 70% male artists and 30% female artists. No one even seems to notice when the M.C. (a woman) invites "all the artists and their wives to step forward for the announcement of awards." In one unconscious word she refutes the existence and thus the worth of every female artist in attendance, their husbands, AND the partner of a gay artist, all rapidly shrinking into the wallpaper. Poof!
• I ask a gallery owner in Taos if they are open to new artists. "No, not now, but check out the women's gallery down the street." As I head out, a male artist approaches her with his postcards and she tells him their procedure for application. Don't you wonder what would have happened if I'd sent "Steve" in there instead?
• A successful older female artist informs me that a certain prestigious art event is yet another "boy's club" so I should not take it personally if I am never invited to it.
• I'm checking out the highest-end gallery in Maui with an eye to approaching it some day, but does give me pause that all their artists are men. (Is the women's gallery on Kauai?) A talented artist selling on the streets nearby (whose work is better in my view than most in the gallery) tells me she can't get in such places but at least makes a decent living selling direct. In fact, most of the vendors out there are women.
• An artist friend tells me that when she entered college in the mid-sixties she majored in commercial art because the school she applied to in Texas would not even admit women into their fine arts program. Wisely, she later moved to San Francisco where she felt much more at home. (See why it's such a beloved city?)
Well, guys, if you think such things don't dampen the Greater Artistic Ambition of many women, think again. The wisdom or folly of great ambition is a topic for another day but consider also my own observations that:
From the beginning, my art teachers have been mostly male, except in elementary school, which, as we all know, is not the loftiest realm of art education, though it was fun. Yet, oddly, the great majority of students in all art classes or workshops I ever taken in my entire life have always been female. So, over time, wouldn't you reasonably expect at least an equal number of women as men to become art teachers, professionals and leaders at all levels?
And some women have done just that. But of those in my acquaintance who became art teachers, most went into elementary education or had temporary/part-time gigs at community colleges involving losing power struggles with male superiors.
As for the dedicated women painters I know, they seem less likely than comparable men to be in good galleries or invitational events and more likely to sell direct (if at all) through art fairs, interior decorators or their own small studio gallery. Many don't really even try to sell their work, let alone approach galleries, including some I think are really tops. I grant you I may have a biased sample, but I do know, or know of, a few successful female artists as well.
The Paper Hypothesis
It is well-known that women congregate in the lower-status/lower-paid status jobs in other vocations, such as nursing in the field of medicine. Lately I am beginning to suspect a similar phenomenon in art sub-cultures.
And so I officially present the Paper Hypothesis: I can't tell you numbers, but it's my impression that women gravitate disproportionately toward paper media as compared to men. I'm talking pastels, watercolor, water-soluble pencils, colored pencil, pen and ink sketching and the like. Maybe as fancier dressers, or cooks who don't want cad red under their fingernails, women are just more averse to the messy and toxic aspects of oils. But I think it's also accurate to say that paper media, on average, have less prestige and lower prices as than do oil paintings. Not as interesting to men... Less competition for the gals...
For whatever reason, I'm pretty sure that those art societies emphasizing paper media have more women as participants, signature members and leaders. Some have even have developed a product line, as did pastelist Kitty Wallis, with whom I studied in my youth. I could be wrong on this one and I welcome others' observations and data-gathering. Heck, it could make a great thesis topic. (Are you beginning to see the beauty and intrigue of Social Psychology? Forget it as a viable career path, however).
On the other hand, without question, male artists clearly predominate in the more prestigious traditional arena of oils on canvas, particularly the higher-status the group. Despite exceptions, they clearly form the great majority in high-end galleries, museums and exhibits, as signature members, judges, teachers, authors, award winners and as subjects of magazine articles.
In regards to the Paper Hypothesis, the real issue may be price. As Exxon shareholders all hope, oil yields better returns. So then, run a quick price survey in local galleries or shows for works of comparable size and quality, sort it by gender, and I am confident that you will find, as I have when attempting to set my prices, that men's prices are higher on average, exceptions not withstanding.
In the highest eschelon of all in the art world, the annals of Art History, male artists overwhelmingly prevail. We can count the Mary Cassats and the Georgia O'Keefes on our fingers and maybe one or two toes.
There are exceptions to every rule. But I'd stake everything I own (my husband doesn't go along with this part) on the accuracy of the proposition that,
Overall, there is a significant bias against women in fine art.
It is institutional, internalized and present in both sexes.
Yes, both sexes: We women can be our own worst enemies, as shown in some of my own encounters.
And I admit that I myself often prefer the art of men (You're welcome, Steve). But maybe that's just because there are more men out there perfecting it, showing it and teaching it, at least in my field of representational landscapes. But of course maybe that's just because gender bias gives them more encouragement and opportunity to do so... a vicious cycle.
If I have not yet convinced you of this trend, let me briefly turn to social science, where objective studies have demonstrated that both sexes are predisposed favor men's creative works, one of the great little tidbits I learned in grad school. Such studies might show that an article by, say, "Steve Pitcairn" would get a lot better reviews and credibility from readers than an article by, say, "Susan Pitcairn."(OK, Steve, next time you get first authorship.)
These trends go beyond the visual arts. Judges of music auditions are found to be much more gender-balanced when they are made to listen behind a screen and cannot determine the sex of the performer (they had to get the gals to take off their noisy high heels when approaching the screen).
Come on, admit it. It ain't just me:
Most of us have greater overall respect and admiration for men than for women.
This collective bias is so internalized that even most of the budding feminists in my 1970 Sociology of Women class at Berkeley, of all places, were stumped at first by this classic riddle: "A man brings his son to an emergency room. The surgeon walks in and exclaims, 'Oh no, it's my son!' How can that be?'" (Answer below*).
It's no news flash that men rule the political, cultural, religious and economic world and have done so for a very long time — though they do tend to steer clear of kitchen world. In fact, many male-led fundamentalist groups around the world today are reverting to the idea that this really was God's plan all along (so get over it, feminists).
As for God, it seems to me that She is more into love and inclusion, is a fairly quiet sort, and may not actually have an opinion on this topic.
Well, religion is controversial. That aside, let's just look at biology. Gender differences and roles stem back to our very beginnings and they helped us survive. After all, it only makes sense that females stay close to the hearth, care for their young and prepare food, while those bigger, stronger guys head out to defend the territory or hunt prey, paychecks and the like. And we really do appreciate it, guys. KNOW that.
(By the way, don't you ever wonder how size impacts all this? I bet taller people do better in most fields or at least get more respect: anyone know the scoop on this? Steve... think maybe we should just go back into Social Psych?)
How It Affects Us and What to Do
Back to our topic. Let's say it's true. Men rule. Now what?
As a 60-year old woman almost four years back into an earlier art career I set aside in favor of counseling and working with my husband in his veterinary practice (and enjoying other pursuits as well), it can be daunting to re-enter this arena with any serious hope of somehow "making it" beyond a modest level (which actually might be just plenty enough).
It's hard enough for any artist, but add age and gender and a poor economy and, really, I'm doing pretty good to be breaking even already at my new gallery in Sedona (Susan Pitcairn Gallery--- sorry, Steve, it's my turn now). As my friend Sherry says, "being an artist is not for sissies."
But for all these extra challenges for women artists, I honestly blame no one, least of all male artists, whom I have found to be mostly supportive. Most probably have little comprehension of this phenomenon. Artists are generally a well-meaning lot, simply following their calling despite the odds. And, bless their hearts, it takes a special kind of man to even go into a field like art that runs so counter to the macho ethos. (One of them should write about that viewpoint).
It takes a special kind of woman too, and here's what I do to maintain and restore my own well-being and confidence whenever I think GB (Gender Bias) is at work. Rule Number One:
Don't take it too seriously or too personally.
Attitudes aren't that important after all. They are just passing thoughts and ideas, nothing nearly so basic as WHO WE REALLY ARE, which seems to far transcend these fleeting roles on the stage of life as men and women. Speaking for myself, it seems that who "I" am is not even gender-based but more like some indefinable kind of awareness-blob, soul, or what-have-you.
So rule Number Two:
Stay in touch with who and what you really are.
In the big picture, life is just a big drama with a cast of billions (or maybe just One giant awareness blob who writes the whole script.) Anyway, it always helps to spend more time quieting down and hanging out in this space. I'm talking meditation, quietude, happiness for no reason.)
Doing that helps us to move beyond our own narrow positions and identities and to (Rule Three)
See things from various perspectives.
So let's try that. Step back, and look at the big picture (the same way we might step back across the room to evaluate a painting).
The Price of the Male Advantage
OK, settled down? First let's look at the part of the picture that is the role of men.
Remember, women, but for a flip of the chromosomes, this could be you and me. Maybe next life, who knows?
While men do have career advantages in most fields, easy for women to envy, they come at a price. Many married men, especially, still experience the pressure to win the bread. Such a man can only pursue a risky career like art by applying himself with great focus. And that alone is responsible for much of his success.
Such pressure may also force him to make compromises of size and subject and style simply to keep sales going. As compared to, say, a married woman comfortably pursuing art, he may have less freedom to experiment, to study and take classes or to try deeper levels of expression.
In addition, these days most husbands are expected to contribute more time and energy to housework and childcare, and their wives may not be available or willing to assist in an art career, which has played an important role in the success of many male artists. If lucky, he may have family money or have garnered an early retirement from another field, but this puts him late in the game.
Dealing with rejection comes with the territory for all artists, but I suspect that a number of sensitive-mannered male artists may also have special issues stemming from childhood abuse from bullies. Even as adults, male artists may sometimes grapple with self-esteem issues when being unfavorably compared to higher-earning men in other fields. A lot of their dads probably did not think it was such a great idea to go into art either, and even some of their wives may secretly long for a life of greater material ease.
Accordingly, I offer my since admiration and congratulations to the dedicated, talented and generally considerate male artists of every medium who work hard to attain some measure of success. I count them among my best friends, colleagues and mentors and I have found them to be more generous and supportive to me personally than many women artists of my acquaintance.
My hat is also off to those special male artists who provide a small but stable living for their families as salaried teachers and administrators. All art teachers of both sexes help others learn and succeed in art to some degree, at the cost of the time and energy needed to produce and promote their own work. In my experience a small few are a bit caught up in ego, but most are givers.
I ask only one thing from men artists, as well as from women: Just try to be mindful of any subtle or not-so-subtle ways in which you may downplay or exclude talented women. Help them feel welcome: they are the sisters of your soul.
Single Women Artists: Heroines of Persistence
That said, the greatest spiritual fortitude in the world of art may be that required of single women. Let's take a look at that role as an artist. Single women artists face most of the same challenges as married and single men, especially the need to earn a living (unless independently wealthy), plus the glass ceiling, and they do all this without the support of a partner.
I know several such women of all ages, and they usually pay the bills by part-time teaching or selling other artists' works as low-paid gallery salespeople, leaving little time, money and energy to pursue their own art career. Others may harden themselves to some degree to make it in the competitive world of art.
Most are barely making it financially as far as I can tell, but somehow they keep at it because they seem to treasure the freedom and independence their lifestyle affords them.
My hat is off to them with a great flourish, and a prayer.
Married Women Artists: Opportunity... Or Not?
Probably the most common type of artist in my acquaintance is, like myself, those married and/or retired women who do not have to work elsewhere for a living, who could manage without income from art at least. Perhaps this owes to our living in a retirement community with a popular art center, attracting empty nesters finally free to focus on such pusuits as art.
Some have been doing art for years, but many have returned to it more full-time after the kids leave home or the husband has retired (or both). Many sell professionally and exhibit in shows. They may have more time and money to pursue art than many, but their disadvantage is their late start, the gender bias and not being financially motivated to work a bit harder at it.
In my own case, at age 56, we moved to Sedona, Arizona so that I could return to an art career I set aside in my 30s. It's been good for me. I've been on roll, making up for lost time and doing as well as I can expect with blue ribbons, festival invitations, a growing reputaion and sales, a home studio and now even my own gallery to show for my efforts.
Sometimes I consider where I might be now if had stayed with it all along, which I could have done in theory. Yet life has its seasons and its reasons and other things drew me during those years.To some extent, I felt that art could not change the world in the ways the world needed changing. So I pursued part-time work in counseling and healing, which was not ultimately my forte.
The city and the climate were not conducive to outdoor painting, there were family responsibilties, and so it was eaiser, all in all, to fall into nurturing roles that are so comfortable and and natural for many women: tending a garden, fixing a good meal, visiting with family and friends, helping my husband in the details of his work and investing the money we managed to accrue in the form of rental property. We made a good team, and we still do. And now at last it has enabled a change of lifestyle in which I may have another 20 years or more to explore my art to its fullest potential, if I continue to choose that.
For other married women with a passion for art, the options are few, with greater or even lifelong demands in regards to caretaking family or holding a job. As a result some do not start until their 50s, 60s or even their 70's, such as Californian Meg Torbett, now in her 90s and creating gorgeous but little-known art that some say is better than Diebenkorn.
Some will never even start. And that's OK if they are happy doing what they do.
All that said, if only I'd really needed to make a living earlier in my life and if only I'd received the message that art was a truly an equal-opportunity field, I suspect I would have continued steadily as a working artist for the last 35 years instead of the last 3 and a half.
A lovely place, that world....an alternate reality and maybe a possible reality in which half of humanity would not pick up conscious and unconcious messages of exclusion when they open up art magazines or visit museums or high-end galleries. And in that same world perhaps everyone would have all the money they would like with which to fearlessly purchase the art of their choice. Perhaps such a world exists on some planet, but not this one. Not now.
Asking for Help
Given that this is where we live, the path of a professional artist presents sometimes daunting challenges, as well as great rewards, for both sexes, especially in lean times. But if we feel deeply called to pursue it, I believe we should, despite the odds and whether or not we encounter much outer success.
Whenever I encounter discouragement in my art or anything else, it can help to talk with a good friend or read an a good book and, as I said earlier, to quiet down and let my mind settle down and seek guidance.
At such moments many of us also find it useful to simply (#4)
Ask whatever we understand of a greater power to help us out, if this is a path we are to pursue.
I find that when I put out this request, most often, as if by magic and usually the same day, someone or something or some good idea appears and somehow I'm back on track, doing what I've come to see as my "dharma," or in other language, my chosen destiny that expresses the purposes of the soul.
Another principle that is good to remember at challenging times is:
Real success is inner, not outer.
Real success if learning how to create moments of beauty and happiness for ourselves and others day to day and moment to moment.
For an artist, that may include creating beautiful works of art in a state of freedom from the usual concerns of ego. Or it could mean simply being fully present with someone or something you love. Or taking pleasure in fixing a beautiful meal. Or doing the right thing. Or helping someone in need.
All these are forms of art that follow naturally from the inside out.
It doesn't really matter in the end whether these are small fleeting interactions with life or whether such acts result in masterful works that last for centuries and are admired the world over. Even then,
sooner or later, it all fades away. The outer world passes. That's why inner success matters most.
And so sooner or later, we need to
Realize and accept that eventually everything and everyone will pass away.
Accepting this free us to make the most of the next moment... and the next ... and the next.
As for the issues that divide us — whether gender bias or religious, political, economic, cultural or racial issues — the most useful contemplations surely lead us back to the saving realization that
We are all in it together and we are all doing the best we know how
given our inherited conditioning and circumstances.
What unites us all is our common desire for happiness, which we often miss in our focus on outer success. Happiness leads to success far more than success leading to happiness.
That does not preclude outer goals, even big ones, but we have to be unattached to the outcome to stay on a even keel. One of my big goals is to create and contribute some outstanding, even great, art to the world, or at least the best of which I am capable and there is probably always further to go on that path.
But lest I forget, my prime goal is to be the best human being I can be.
So when I paint, I hope that I may remember to ask, often, to wield my brush with joy and unattachment to results, creating beauty for its own sake with no concern for whether this painting succeeds or whether it ever sells. I ask that I may learn to see each painting not as something that I possess or that I have done, but rather, as something that the very Source of life creates, through me.
And when I lose sight of these realizations, I ask you to help me out of my hole. And I will try to help you.
So, how about it, Steve?
I'm there for you, Susan.
Now, how hard was that?
______
*Answer: The surgeon was his mother.
via susanpitcairn.com