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Archives and Resources for Feminist Research

A list of selected archives, books, and online resources related to feminist art and research at the Getty Research Institute.

Overview

Created:2017, updated 2018
Authors: Marissa Clifford, Anja Foerschner, Kayleigh Perkov, and John Tain

The Getty Research Institute is a rich repository of resources for those interested in studying art and feminism. Its Special Collections hold the archives of eminent artists, writers, and curators whose work—while not necessarily self-identified as feminist—had an impact on feminist art since the 1960s. These collections—which include the papers of Eleanor Antin, Harmony Hammond, the Guerrilla Girls, Cindy Nemser, Yvonne Rainer, Carolee Schneemann, Sylvia Sleigh, Barbara T. Smith, and Marcia Tucker—offer insight into the development of these artists' and writers' practice. Drawings, scripts, or photographs allow for the study of ephemeral works such as performance, happenings, or dance, to which the artists brought innovative approaches, while letters and notes give an account of day-to-day thoughts related to projects, personal matters, and professional exchanges. 

Other notable archives at the Research Institute document New York's legendary performance space The Kitchen, in which several of the abovementioned artists were active, and Miranda July's feminist film chain letter Joanie 4 Jackie. The library's holdings of key literature—such as High Performance magazine and The Feminist Art Journal—and exhibition catalogs complement and contextualize the narratives of individual archives. 

In addition, the highly active feminist art scene in Southern California is represented in the Long Beach Museum of Art Video Archive and in collections related to the Woman's Building in downtown Los Angeles. Processing and preservation of the latter received support from a grant by the Save America's Treasures program, an interagency federal initiative led by the National Park Service and the Institute of Museum and Library Services

This research guide is intended to serve as an introduction to research on archives and collections related to feminist art at the Getty Research Institute, and is not a comprehensive bibliography for the subject in its entirety. It will be updated as new collection material is acquired.

 

Banner: Joanie 4 Jackie 4 Ever (detail), Miranda July, ca. 1998. The Getty Research Institute, 2016.M.20. © Miranda July