What’s still good about yesterday’s liberation?: Feminist Criticism and Construction in the WSW Archives with Jeanne Vaccaro
July 29 - August 2
| $350 – $1200Event Navigation
What’s still good about yesterday’s liberation?: Feminist Criticism and Construction in the WSW Archives – Jeanne Vaccaro
Dates: July 29 – August 2, 2024
Studio: Archive
Tuition: Sliding Scale, $350-$1200
Lab fee: $75
Class limit: 6
This workshop moves between two concepts: criticism and construction. What is criticism for, exactly, and how can it be harnessed to build movements on top of movements? Rather than think of criticism as destructive we will consider and practice forms of collective inquiry. Anchored in the WSW Feminist Criticism workshop of 1987, some readings and horizontal style classroom lectures will be provided on the politics of feminist citationality, lesbian bibliography, political organizing within library and information systems, and how identity politics and knowledge production go hand in hand. We will have a chance to learn about and use the WSW archive and produce a takeaway based on our collective research. Hands-on exercises, free writing, rewrites, and collage will be incorporated. Many archival documents including video will be on offer. Open to all, no specialized experience necessary.
In order to reserve your space in the class, we require a $150 nonrefundable deposit. WSW offers a sliding tuition model for the Summer Art Institute, and you can pick your desired tuition level from the drop-down menu at check-out. If you are in a position to pay full tuition or more, we request that you do so. The pay-as-you-can model is not based on tax returns or documentation, rather your self-determined capacity to pay. Registration is on a first-come first-served basis, and you can read about our refund and cancellation policies here.
Artist
Jeanne Vaccaro
Jeanne Vaccaro is a scholar and curator of contemporary art and public practice. She uses archives to uplift movements of liberation that are both ongoing and historic. Jeanne co-founded the New York City Trans Oral History Project, a community archive supported by the New York Public Library. As the inaugural scholar/curator at the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, she commissioned performances and organized exhibitions with artists including Arthur Jafa, Tourmaline, Julie Tolentino, and Xandra Ibarra.
Jeanne’s book in process, Handmade: feelings & textures of transgender, explores the felt labor of making identity and was awarded the Arts Writers Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation. She received her Ph.D. in Performance Studies at New York University under the mentorship of José Muñoz, and is Assistant Professor of Transgender and Museum Studies at the University of Kansas.