Viewing page 7 of 42

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Feminist Studio Workshop

The Feminist Studio Workshop is an alternative educational institution committed to discovering, exploring, creating and sharing women's culture with the public. The goals of this learning situation are to create community, develop the unique situation of mutual supportive criticism and to make strong, articulate individual and collaborative work.

The Feminist Studio Workshop has defined feminist art as that which invites dialogue, raises consciousness and transforms culture. Our concept of the creation of culture includes not only visual arts, theater and writing, but community organizing, feminist education, art criticism and critical writing, gallery curating and even administration.

The Workshop has been designed as a two-year program, although many women return for their third and fourth years. The cost is [[strikethrough]] $1500 [[/strikethrough]] * per year, and full payment is due on the first day of registration. There are limited scholarships available for disadvantaged women. Although called "tuition," this money is, in fact, an investment in the workshop community and is used to pay rent, to purchase equipment and supplies and to pay salaries, all necessary for the survival of the program. 

Courses offered at the Workshop include a graphic design, performance, writing, feminist education, graphic production studio, journal writing, feminist issues and "Feeling to Form" (the exploration of personal symbols in visual work.) Additional classes are available through the Extension Program (each student may take 3 per year, included in her tuition.) A sample brochure is enclosed. Accredited degree programs are also available (see enclosed sheet for costs and details.) 

Although a wide range of classes and workshops are offered throughout the year, the heart of the Feminist Studio Workshop experience lies in personal and artistic development and (through consciousness raising, worksharing and criticism groups)and through the formation of community at weekly meetings, social events and involvement in collaborative projects. 

Each year the activities, goals and visions of the workshop community change according to the needs of the women who join us. What has remained constant is that women have the experience of feminist education, participation in a feminist art community, receive encouragement and support for creative work and undergo tremendous personal growth. The present staff includes Sheila de Bretteville, graphic designer: Ruth Iskin, art historian: Suzanne Lacy, performance artist; Deena Metzger, writer; and Arlene Raven, art historian. 

The Feminist Studio Workshop is housed at the Woman's Building, a public center for woman's culture, located in downtown Los Angeles. The Woman's Building also houses the Extension Program, a performance space, a thrift store, the Woman's Graphic Center, the Women's Community Galleries, Val's Cafe, the Women's Slide Library and Registry, Chrysalis Magazine, the Lesbian Art Project, Women Against Violence Against Women, the Women's Video Center, a Referral Listing and Spinning Off, a newsletter of women's culture. Facilities of the Woman's Building are available to Workshop students. We encourage women to take on responsibility for the care and maintenance of the building, and many find their support and activity within the Woman's Building provides a vital link to the L.A. women's community. 

Housing is available near the Woman's Building. It is not provided by the Workshop, but we may be able to help you locate living quarters. The rental costs range from about $120 per month for a one-bedroom apartment. Many women choose to live together or share studio space. The beach is 30 minutes away, and many women live there, although rents are somewhat more expensive. A car is strongly  recommended, as public transportation is limited and difficult, but not absolutely necessary. 

We invite you to join us in the Feminist Studio Workshop this fall. If what we have to offer is for you or you think it might be, please write to us. Ask specific questions, tell us your needs. To apply, send a letter that describes who are, your creative work and your visions of women's culture. Please include slides or other samples of your work and enclose a $100 non-refundable deposit. 

The Feminist Studio Workshop experience is as individual and various as the women who attend. To give you a clear picture of this diversity, several personal statements by of the workshop are included. We look forward to meeting you soon! 

The Feminist Studio Workshop at the Woman's Building, 1727 N. Spring. St., Los Angeles CA 90012, 221-6161.