02.10.11 Morning ConfabStarting at 8:30 am, the Hilton Hotel's New York Suite was the location of multiple exciting offerings. We witnessed the formation of a brand new New York Chapter headed by Co-Presidents Marcia Annenberg and Heather Stoltz. Young WCA members handed out pennies and asked us for our thoughts. Central Mass member CM Judge showed FEMLINK videos in a corner. New Hampshire member Suzanne Whattaker kicked off the KISS mail art project. Chapters Council members had an informal introduction meeting. Caitlin Rueter and Suzanne Stroebe, members of the Feminist Tea Party, led off a panel discussion called "Ask Me, I Will Tell," that included the Tea Party, The Brainstormers, Project Space and For the Birds Collective. They discussed their collectives' structure and focus, and how the subject matter of gender is handled among young artists and curatorial collectives. All this, while serving tea and eating cupcakes! The panel was written up in the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mira-schor/feminist-tea-party_b_821729.html, a big coup for WCA!
02.10.11 Women, Art & Activism PanelModerator CM Judge (Central Mass) led a panel discussion by three established artists, Carolee Schneemann (LTA awardee), Elizabeth Streb and Paula Rendino Zaentz. All three are performance artists who focus on their bodies but who produce vastly different works of art. All three showed videos of their performances to a capacity crowd. WCA members knitted throughout.
02.10.11 Art ReceptionsWhat would a trip to New York be without art, art, art? Mutiple art receptions allowed us to choose from the uptown JWAN Sanctuaries in Time reception at the Kraft Center, and Chelsea galleries' Control reception at Ceres Gallery and Flomenhaft Gallery reception & conversation at the Flomenhaft Gallery called "Be Aware: Women Working." If that wasn't enough, the Young Women's Caucus staged a series of performance art at the Raandesk Gallery.
| 02.12.11 Bus Tour + Hidden CitiesAfter a busy morning of JWAN meetings, WCA Video Shorts Festival and other events, WCA members boarded a bus that took them to the Sackler Museum, St. Francis College and 20th Century Artists Gallery for the Hidden Cities reception. WCA sold out on the bus tour and ended up adding a bus at the last minute. It was a small adventure when we got stuck in rush hour traffic the drivers lost the way, but we all made it to our destinations in Brooklyn and Chelsea.
2.12.11 TFAP Panels, LTA & GalaThe day started with a very early morning Chapters Council Meeting at the Hilton. Reps from all over the country shared news about their chapters, as well as the challenges and successes they've had over the last year.The Feminist Art Project moved their "Day of Panels" out of the Hilton and into the Museum of Arts & Design at Columbus Circle. It was standing-room only for the various panels that went from 9:15 am to 5:30 pm. WCA members then rushed back to their rooms to change for the WCA Lifetime Achievement Awards ceremony at the Hilton, that honored Beverly Buchanan, Diane Burko, Ofelia Garcia, Joan Marter, Carolee Schneemann and the late Sylvia Sleigh. President Janice Nesser-Chu also gave a touching tribute to The Point's Maria Torres, who received the first President's Award for Art and Activism. After the ceremony, everyone walked half a block to the American Folk Art Museum for a walkaround dinner and opportunity to schmooze with the LTA honorees and artists.This year's LTA event was heavily attended and the new format of a social mixer rather than a formal sit-down dinner was enthusiastically received.
02.13 & 14.11 Rutgers and Board MeetingCollege Art Association and WCA teamed up to offer a bus tour to Rutgers on Sunday. We toured the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions, the Institute for Women and Art and the Zimmerli Art Museum. Attendees got to watch paper-making demonstration at the Brodsky and listen to a lecture by Joan Snyder at the Zimmerli.
Most of the WCA members went home on Monday but the National Board met all day at the Kraft Center. Janice kept us moving quickly through a very full agenda and we finished on time! Next year, the conference will take place in Los Angeles. WCA definitely made a mark in New York this year. Leveraging our success, our 2012 theme will be called "Momentum." |