On March 23, 2007, the Elizabeth A Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum officially opened its doors with an inaugural exhibit "Pharaohs, Queens, and Goddesses". This long running show, notes curator Maura Reily, will be "a wonderfull opportunity to work with the public, to engage in subjects in and around history of women and the impact of women".
As a centerpiece in the space and on permanent exhibit, Judy Chicago's iconic work, The Dinner Party from 1979 addresses early groundwork in the development of feminism. The large scale installation has 39 place settings around a triangular table, with each setting representing a woman of historical note from ancient goddesses to Georgia O'Keeffe. Tiles on the floor below the table are inscribed with the names of 999 women of significance.
In conjunction, objects from the Brooklyn Art Museum's Egyptian collection offer insight into important women of history including Queen Hatshepsut (one of the few women to become rulers in Egypta), Nefertiti, and Cleopatra VII, and others. At the center of this exhibit is the Brooklyn Museum's granite head of Hatshepsut, the fifth pharaoh from the 18th Dynasty (1539-1292 B.C.).
Link: Brooklyn Museum show information, Pharaohs, Queens, and Goddesses
Link: Article in the Baltimore Sun Newspaper, Center for Feminist Art in New York welcomes female artists to the table - BaltimoreSun.com
Link: Egyptian Reproductions at eMuseumStore.com including Queen Hatshepsut Bust
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