History of the Woman's Building, circa 1975-1979

In 1973, artist Judy Chicago, graphic designer Sheila Levant de Bretteville, and art historian Arlene Raven founded the Feminist Studio Workshop (FSW), one of the first independent schools for women artists. In November of 1973 the founders rented workshop space in a vacated building in downtown Los Angeles and called it The Woman's Building, taking the name from the structure created for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Functioning as both an alternative arts education center and public gallery for women, it provided support for women artists. As part of its vision, it focused on the integration of art, the development of women’s experiences, and the women’s movement. The Woman's Building closed its gallery and performance space in 1991. To learn more about the Woman's Building, explore the fully digitized records on the Archives of American Art website!