Woman's Building (1973-1991)

In 1973, the first independent women's arts school and center- named the Feminist Studio Workshop- was established by artist Judy Chicago, art historian Arlene Raven, and graphic designer Sheila Levrant de Bretteville. The idea for a women-led and woman-centered arts workshop came to the them after their years of experiences with misogyny and lesbophobia in art workshops at places like CalArts. The first few meetings for the Feminist Studio Workshop were held in the living room of de Bretteville's home, until more and more artists began joining and a larger space became necessary. On November 28th of that year, the Workshop was then relocated to a building near MacArthur Park. Students of the Feminist Studio Workshop soon began calling the building the "Woman's Building"- a tribute to the historic Woman's Building which housed artwork from thousands of women artists during the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The name stuck, and when the FSW was moved again in 1975- this time to a Beaux Arts style warehouse which had been built for Standard Oil Company in 1914- the name carried over with it. The women remodeled the space themselves, learning construction skills as the went. Later that year, the Woman's Building on North Spring Street was opened.

The Feminist Studio Workshop was not only focused on teaching artmaking skills, but on contributing to women’s culture and history as a whole as well. With plenty of space, the group sublet to other feminist organizations and businesses such as the Sisterhood Bookstore, the Womantours Travel Agency, and the LA offices for the National Organization for Women. Throughout the 1970’s, all three floors of the Woman’s Building were constantly bustling with art exhibitions, performances, speaking events, workshops, and feminist political organizing. Numerous significant works of art were created at the Woman’s Building during this time period. In Mourning and In Rage, a performance art piece created by Leslie Labowitz and Suzanne Lacy at the Feminist Studio Workshop, was performed on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall in 1977. The piece, which protested violence against women, featured 10 tall women wearing Black robes- representative of the victims of the Hillside Strangler. Also in 1977, FSW co-founder Arlene Raven and Terry Wolverton started the Lesbian Art Project (LAP) at the Woman’s Building. Consisting of gallery exhibitions, performances, workshops, and a massive oral history project, the Lesbian Art Project lasted until 1979. The Woman’s Building would also later hold the Great American Lesbian Art Show (GALAS) from May 3rd through May 31st of 1980. The FSW Writing Series frequently hosted speaking engagements and workshops with famed lesbian feminist writers Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich, as well as Honor Moore, Meridel LeSueur, and Deena Metzger.

Due to the growth of women's arts programs within universities or other arts centers, the need for alternative education had diminished greatly by the beginning of the 1980's. As a result of low membership, the Feminist Studio Workshop closed its doors permanently in 1981. The Woman’s Building, however, continued under the leadership of three former students- operating mostly as a studio space and gallery. That year, a performance art group called the Sisters of Survival formed at the Woman’s Building and toured the United States and Europe protesting for nuclear disarmament. Also that year, in an effort to support the Woman’s Building financially, the Women’s Graphic Center was opened. A for-profit business, the Women’s Graphic Center provided printing, graphic design, phototypesetting, and other services to artists. After its closure in 1988, the Woman’s Building struggled and, on July 15, 1991, finally closed its doors. Records and materials from the Woman’s Building were donated to the ONE Gay & Lesbian Archives, Getty Research Institute, and Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.

From 2011 to 2012, a major acclaimed exhibition “Doin’ It In Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman’s Building” was held at the Ben Maltz Gallery of the Otis College of Art and Design. The exhibition, a part of the Getty Pacific Standard Time initiative, focused on the work and legacy of the artists at the Woman’s Building. In recognition of its significance as a space for women’s art, the Los Angeles City Council designated the Woman’s Building a Historic-Cultural Landmark on June 8, 2018.

Breslauer, Jan. Woman’s Building Lost to a Hitch in ‘Herstory’ : Arts: The downtown structure opened up a new world for feminist artists; with its closing, the leaders are left to ponder an uncertain future., Los Angeles Times. January 7th 1992. Accessed October 21st 2020. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-07-ca-1544-story.html.

Cotton, Charlotte. The Woman’s Building: Animating the Archives Discussion Panel at the LA Art Book Fair, Metabolic Studio. February 23rd 2017. Accessed November 27th 2020. https://www.metabolicstudio.org/posts/pdf/197_the-womans-building-animating-the-archives-discussion-panel-at-the-la-art-book-fair.pdf.

Dambrot, Shana Nys. STATUS UPDATE: THE WOMAN’S BUILDING EARNS HISTORIC CULTURAL MONUMENT DESIGNATION, LA Weekly. June 18th 2018. Accessed November 27th 2020. http://www.laweekly.com/status-update-the-womans-building-earns-historic-cultural-monument-designation/.

Doin' It in Public. Woman's Building: History Timeline, Otis College of Art and Design. February 26th 2012. Accessed November 27th 2020. https://www.otis.edu/old-ben-maltz-gallery/womans-building-history-timeline.

LA Conservancy. Woman's Building, LA Conservancy. Accessed October 20th 2020. https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/womans-building.

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives. Woman's Building Records, Online Archive of California. December 29th 2014. Accessed November 27th 2020. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8tq64vb/admin/#aspace_56c550b57ca52443f30568e599f3f67c.

Sonksen, Mike. The Legacy of the Woman's Building and How it Lives On, KCET. October 1st 2014. Accessed October 21st 2020. https://www.kcet.org/history-society/the-legacy-of-the-womans-building-and-how-it-lives-on.