THE BIG ART HERSTORY PROJECT

The Big Art Herstory Project is a woman-led organisation working to re balance the historical gender divide in art and culture through education and creativity.

Did you know that there are more images of naked women in galleries worldwide than there are Female Painters represented in those galleries? Did you know that there are only 24 paintings by women in London’s National Gallery, (and half of their works are in storage), yet there are over 50 paintings whose subject matter depict rape? Statistics like this are ubiquitous and all pervasive;

ï In 2017 only 28% of artists represented by major commercial galleries in London were women, a fall from 2016 figures.

ï At major commercial galleries in London during Frieze Week 2017, only 21% of shows were by women artists, half the amount (42%) in 2016.

ï At London’s major institutions only 22% of solo shows in 2017 were by female artists, falling by 8% since 2016 and by 3% since 2014–15.

ï In the auction industry, just 3% of lots for the highest grossing Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Sales were artworks by women.

ï In university art faculties, only 41% of the best-paid academics are women.

ï 61% of the lowest-paid part-time academics are women.

ï 63% of women studying creative arts and design at undergraduate level, and 66% of women at postgraduate, and yet women are not represented as artists or academics at the highest levels.

ï This is not unique to visual arts; the ‘Women in Music’ project figures demonstrate that of 1,445 classical music concerts held across the world this year, only 76 included at least one work by a woman.

ï Another study by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism observed that film critics are overwhelmingly white and male.

Female artists are still under-represented in the art world as a whole despite outnumbering men studying in art school. This is not due to ability or skill, but due to our continued gender bias.

Directed by Luisa-Maria, BAHP provides an innovative array of classes, courses and workshops which redress our core concern of gender inequality in the public consciousness. These vary from school workshops to university level lectures, corporate classes, private bookings and our program of public classes, all of which combine ‘Feminist Art History’ with practical artistic interventions, offering students the chance to personally confront our collective female histories of oppression and prejudice in creative and positive ways. Inclusivity, accessibility and the democratisation of feminism is key to our ethos; we believe that feminism should not be a class, race, age, or gender specific issue. We also regularly take BAHP on the road to spread our message further than simply engaging the London community!

To find out more, please visit our website www.bigartherstoryproject.com