Women have been an integral part of art history since the dawn of time. In this special OLLI Speaker Series, we will go back to the very beginning during which women’s roles were illustrated on cave walls. Moving chronologically, we will venture into a discussion of traditional visual tropes of women in society based on socio-economic triggers: Venuses, Virgins, and Prostitutes. Next, we will investigate women’s impact on art history as they begin to assume prominent, as well as independent, positions across the world as patrons, historians, curators, pioneers and practitioners. And finally, we will apply our newly acquired understanding of current feminist theory and apply it to an open discussion surrounding today’s gender roles in visual culture. (For past students of the long-form “Wild Women in Art” course, this program introduces many new images as well as discussion exercises. As such, I hope you will “re-join” our ongoing conversation.) Karen McSorley is a cultural economist with advanced degrees in both Art History & Economics from both Northwestern University & Yale University. Beyond her two decade career in Consumer Brand Strategy, she is a veteran SFMOMA docent & energetic OLLI instructor.
