Vagina China

Our project is a large scale ceramic exhibition called “Vagina China.” Our mission is to make art that celebrates the vulva by demystifying it, and to bring light, awareness, and conversation about this part of the female body, as it is often objectified but rarely reflected upon and honored.

This project embodies a new approach to collective artistic exploration by inviting all people who identify as a women in the community to explore and share their own deep truths through small-group studio ceremonies. In a desire to represent the collective effort of all women involved, we are operating under the name “The Women's Art League”

We are creating 13 different collections of handmade ceramic plates, each referencing classical pottery patterns and adorned with cast vulvas. The plates will be both works of art, and also an entry point into a larger cultural conversations, exploring current issues that impact women today. Each set will be configured on the wall in a unique and arrangement relevant to the style and message. We are making 13 sets because it is the number of the divine feminine.

We’ve developed a unique and innovative way to engage participants in the art making process that has become integral to our endeavor. We are holding “casting ceremonies,” in which we gather a group of a dozen women at a time for a night of rituals, art making, sharing in circle, and casting vulvas. The ceremonies are community building, free, and empowering. The castings are anonymous and private.

Many of the women who are drawn to our project also understand our reference to the landmark installation, “The Dinner Party,” by Judy Chicago, in 1979. Ms. Chicago has invited us to discuss our project at the Brooklyn Museum on January 16, 2018 and how it fits into the continuum her work, and the recent discovery of the "Famous Women Dinner Service” by Bloomsbury artist, Vanessa Bell. Our discussion will be included in a British documentary about this lineage.

Funded by Boulder, CO (November 2017)