Certainly, this segregation is well-intended. The five artists in the lineup are all from Colorado, and each was nominated by local curator Nora Burnett Abrams to take part in the triennial “Women to Watch” exhibition series that is produced by the Washington, D.C.-based National Museum of Women in the Arts.
There is a problem here, and it needs to be solved — actively and relentlessly. Museums, galleries, collectors and critics should all feel the pressure and, generally speaking, they do. And, of course, the scores of artists themselves, who simply refuse to let others “he” or “she” them. Where do those human beings fit into a show of “women” artists? How do you address their exclusion? You want to force those artists to identify one way or the other so they have a comfortable place in the lineup. That’s not going to happen. It’s time for a new strategy.
And though they were not chosen initially to be exhibited together, CVA curator Cecily Cullen was wise to see a connection among their efforts.