Enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee and join graduate students for intimate conversations inspired by the ICA exhibitions on view. This discussion will be led by Rachel Wallis.

Throughout her career Louise Fishman alternately rejected and embraced techniques and media that she considered to be “feminine” – first identifying with the masculine world of Abstract Expressionism, then abandoning painting in search of a feminist artist practice, and finally unifying those tendencies in her later work. In this talk we will explore the relationship between gender and artistic expression within Abstract Expressionism, Feminist Art, and other contemporary art movements. In what ways have artists adopted, subverted, or avoided textiles, craft, body art and other media traditionally associated with feminist or feminine expression?

Rachel Wallis is a self taught artist, maker, and activist living in Chicago. A printmaker and a textile artist, her current project is Gone But Not Forgotten, a community quilting project creating a memorial to individuals killed by the Chicago Police Department. She is the co-founder of Craft/Work a collective exploring the relationships between craft and fine art, and she teaches in the textiles department of the Lillstreet Arts Center. She is currently pursuing her MA in Social Engagement at Moore College of Art and Design.