"Kunstorte in Genderperspektive", September 5 - 8, 2001 in Bielefeld (FRG)

Report by Michaela Schoissengeier on her participation in the expert workshop

The idea of the workshop was to contribute to the exchange between female visual artists, cultural scientists and cultural workers from Central and Eastern Europe, North America, South America and South Africa and to create the conditions for a comprehensive research project on the working situation of female visual artists in different countries and continents.

The workshop also dealt with the question of what influence the geographical location of creative venues within the global art world has on the working and exhibition conditions of female visual artists, i.e. on their presence in exhibition and educational institutions (museums, galleries, academies, universities of applied sciences) as well as on their participation in networks and professional associations.

Furthermore, the reasons why female artists choose to work in one of the metropolitan areas and/or in the provinces were also examined. In particular, the general conditions of artistic production and specific working methods of women in the various locations were examined.Women artists and cultural scientists from Germany, Poland, Brazil, South Africa and New York presented their work and experiences in the form of lectures. The presentations were extremely informative and gave a good insight into the various conditions that women artists find in their countries and which often make their work difficult, and the massive discrimination of women in the art world was once again glaringly obvious.

It always takes extra energy for women to present their work adequately.

For FIFTITU%, on the one hand, the content-related, theoretical debate was essential and, on the other hand, the many international contacts that could be made and represent an important contribution to achieving the association's goal, as well as making the cultural landscape of Austria, especially Upper Austria, more colorful again.

Michaela Schoissengeier took part in the above-mentioned workshop for the association "FIFTITU%" - Verein zur Förderung von Kunst und Kultur von Frauen, Linz.

Organization:
Project "Art locations in gender perspective",
Interdisciplinary Women's Research Center (IFF)
Dr. Irene Below e-mail: ibelow@uni-bielefeld.de

Bielefeld University
P.O. Box 100131
33501 Bielefeld
Tel. 0521-1064-44587
womenartists(at)web.de