Women Artists

Title: Old in art school: a memoir of starting over
By: Dr. Nell Irvin Painter
Published: 2018

How are women and artists seen and judged by their age, looks, and race? What does it mean when someone says, "You will never be an artist"? Who defines what "An Artist" is and all that goes with such an identity, and how are these ideas tied to our shared conceptions of beauty, value, and difference? Old in Art School is Nell Painter's ongoing exploration of those crucial questions. Bringing to bear incisive insights from two careers, Painter weaves a frank, funny, and often surprising tale of her move from academia to art.

Title: I know what I am : the life and times of Artemisia Gentileschi
By: Gina Siciliano
Published: 2019

Gina Siciliano brings to life the tumultuous 17th-century cities of Rome, Florence, Naples, and Venice where the fearless Artemisia braved the male-dominated sphere of painting to become a groundbreaking artist. I Know What I Am paints a complex, feminist portrait of Artemisia as a single mother, a sexual assault survivor, and a pioneering practitioner of her craft.

Title: Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa
By: Marilyn Chase
Published: 2020

This is the story of a woman who wielded imagination and hope in the face of intolerance and who transformed everything she touched into art. Chase draws on Asawa's extensive archives and weaves together many voices-family, friends, teachers, and critics-to offer a complex and fascinating portrait of the artist. With 70 photographs and artworks reproduced throughout the book, this is a richly visual volume that invites readers to step inside Asawa's story.