Artemisia Gallery, an all-female cooperative gallery active in Chicago from 1973 to 2003, mentored female artists and helped to create the Chicago art scene.4 The gallery’s mission was “to encourage the development of art by women; to change the public's attitude about art created by women through the exhibition of work of the highest quality; to eliminate artistic isolation; to exhibit even the most unsaleable or transitory work; and to provide a place where the community can learn to understand and appreciate the artist and art as valuable to society."^[1]

School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduate student Joy Poe visited the New York feminist artist cooperative A.I.R. Gallery in 1973 and returned to Chicago inspired to create a similar space for female artists to promote their work. She convened a panel of artists, Barbara Grad, Phyllis MacDonald, Emily Pinkowski, and Margaret Wharton, to visit the studios of 150 female artists, from which they enlisted 15 additional founding members.^[2]

Members of the cooperative contributed annual dues and time assisting with the day-to-day operations of the gallery, including gallery sitting, cleaning, installing artwork, grant writing, and exhibit promotion.3 In exchange, each member was guaranteed one solo exhibition in the gallery every year as well as the opportunity to participate in traveling exhibitions. Members rotated through leadership positions at the gallery, and made all decisions collaboratively. 2

Artemisia collaborated with other art organizations in the city of Chicago, such as Sapphire and Crystals, an African-American female art collective, and ARC (Artists, Residents Chicago) a neighboring feminist cooperative. Nationally, the Artemisia collaborated with organizations such as the Los Angeles Women’s Video Center, and internationally, they did exchange programs with groups such as

Members worked in a variety of media, including cartoons, ceramics, computer art, fiber art, kinetic sculpture, performance art, painting, photography, poetry reading, printmaking, and sound art.5,7 The Artemisia Fund, run by the membership, provided resources for Artemisia Gallery to bring visiting artists such as Judy Chicago, Alice Neel, and Betye Saar to exhibit in Chicago.7

In addition to exhibitions, Artemisia Gallery presented lectures, a mentorship program for professional women artists, and workshops for artists and art educators.6 Workshops such as the 1976 programs “Feminist Art Workers” and “Feminist Education: Method and Techniques” have been credited with introducing the historical framework for feminist art. 1

• Both Sides Now, curated by Lucy Lippard, 1979
• Looking at Women
• Looking at Men
• Pork Roasts: 250 Feminist Cartoons, curated by Avis Rosenberg, 1982
• Critical Messages: The Use of Public Media for Political Art by Women

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