Women, War and Industry, The San Diego Museum of Art

Women, War and Industry, The San Diego Museum of Art

Examining the ways in which women have been represented in relation to war and industry in modern and contemporary art, Women, War, and Industry opens at The San Diego Museum of Art 19 October. Running until 18 February, the exhibition is built upon many never-before-displayed works from the Museum’s Permanent Collection, this exhibition includes World War I and II era posters, and recent acquisitions in photography.

The multiple wars in the 20th century and increased industrialization led to major changes in the lives of women, changing everything from their roles in the family, to the way in which they dressed and the manner in which they were perceived in the public arena. Collating work from diverse media, the show looks at he iconic, historical, and fictional ways that women have been represented in relation to the complicated and related factors of war and industry.

The pieces displayed in the exhibition explore how images of women have been used to convey certain ideas about war and industry, and how women artists responded to these concepts in their work. During World War II, war and industry intersected and women went to work in factories to compensate for the depletion of the work force created by men being called abroad for military duty.

Including paintings, photographs, prints, sculpture, and mixed media works, the exhibition is primarily built upon pieces from the Museum’s holdings. However, to complement these works a number of modern and contemporary art-works by Miyoshi Barosh, Doris Bittar, Nava Lubelski, Catherine Opie, Iana Quesnell, An-My Lê, Pae White, and Frohawk Two Feathers have been selected. New works by Frohawk Two Feathers and Michelle Dizón will also be displayed.

Women, War and Industry, 19 October – 18 February, The San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA.

Credits
1. Artist unknown, Become a Nurse, Your Country Needs You, Lithograph poster, 1942, Anonymous gift, 1924.479.