The Woman’s Building Collection, 1973-1991

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Summary

Title:
The Woman’s Building Collection, 1973-1991
Dates:
1973-1991
Creators:
Woman's Building (Los Angeles, Calif.) Feminist Studio Workshop Women's Graphic Center (Los Angeles, Calif.) Chicago, Judy, 1939- De Bretteville, Sheila Levrant Raven, Arlene
Abstract:
Extent:
.45 cubic feet
Language:
Preferred citation:

The Woman’s Building Collection, 1973-1991. Los Angeles Public Library

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains exhibition postcards, event calendars, flyers, and newsletters, among other print materials. Many items were designed and printed in-house. The Woman’s Building included the Women’s Graphic Center (WGC), which offered programs in letterpress, offset printing, silkscreen, design, photography, papermaking, as well as lectures by professionals in the field, a publication exhibit and sale. It was founded to provide an accessible design and printing arts studio for women artists. The studio was used to make artists’ books, posters, and postcards over a period of ten-plus years. The mission of the school was unique in that women encouraged each other to produce professional quality work without sacrificing a personal voice. The Feminist Studio Workshop was another school within the Building. Most of the materials date from the 1980’s.

Biographical / historical:

In 1970, “Art and Technology,” a group exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) had no women artists included. As a reaction to this, the Los Angeles Council of Women Artists researched that between 1961 through 1971, even though women represented 53% of the population in Los Angeles, only 4% of works shown in group shows at LACMA were that of women. As part of that zeitgeist, artist Judy Chicago, graphic designer Sheila Levrant de Bretteville and art historian Arlene Raven, experiencing frustration in creating a supportive feminist education environment, decided to start an independent school for women artists. In 1973, these founders established the Woman’s Building, a non-profit alternative education center that organized, sponsored and fostered programs, activities and groups in the old Chouinard Art Institute (1921-1961) building on Grandview and later in 1975, moved to the edge of Chinatown on North Spring Street. (Chouinard joined with the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music in 1961 to become CalArts in Santa Clarita.) The Woman’s Building stood as a counterpoint to major museums, galleries and teaching spaces that (were unintentionally or intentionally patriarchal) and excluded female artists. The building included gallery spaces, artists’ studio spaces, performances spaces, and teaching spaces and in its 18-year history (1973-1991), the space brought together women from throughout the United States and the world and served as a gathering space for painters, printers, graphic designers, performance artists, video artists and writers. The Woman’s Building hosted many programs within its doors, including the Feminist Studio Workshop (the inaugural group), Center for Art and Historical Studies, Los Angeles Women’s Video Center, Women’s Writer Program, and the Women’s Graphic Center. The Women’s Graphic Center (WGC) was both an educational space and a community studio space where artists could take classes and rent studio time to create books, posters and other printed ephemera. The WGC had an extensive roster of equipment, including an offset press, letterpress machines, offset plate-making equipment, a darkroom and space to do screen printing. Artists who used the space could effectively print a book from start to finish; they could conceive, write, design, print, and bind their books. WGC was based on this ethos that the ability to publish and distribute artists’ own printed works allows their own voices to be heard through having control over production and distribution, which was vital to their mission to empower women to share their thoughts, concerns and life experiences. The Woman’s Building had a huge impact on women artists and on feminism as a whole. It was thus incredibly supportive of multiculturalism and lesbianism, and for the printed word, created an environment supportive of the printing and books through training a community of printers, artisans, and book artists in Los Angeles. Many who were trained at the WGC started their own studios elsewhere; some even taught at local institutions and others started their own printing businesses. Some of these people later became teachers and professors throughout the Southland, such as Otis, CalArts, Scripps College, Armory Center of the Arts, etc. The newsletter “Spinning Off” contains articles by well-known authors, such as Andrea Dworkin and Ruth Iskin, and topical articles on domestic abuse, rape, self defense, electoral politics, and lesbian culture. The advertising reflects concerns of women, including reproductive healthcare, and businesses centered on women, such as Sisterhood Bookstore.

Acquisition information:
Unknown.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid created by Los Angeles Public Library staff.
Date Prepared:
1973-1991
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:54 p.m.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research by appointment only in the Rare Books reading room. Information about setting appointments can be found on the Library’s website at lapl.org/branches/rarebooks. Appointments can also be arranged by sending an email inquiry to rarebook [at] lapl.org.

Terms of access:

Any reproduction, redistribution, publication, or other use, by any means, without prior written permission is prohibited. Photocopies, copy prints and digital images can be provided. With the proper fees and permissions, many images can be used in commercial and non-profit applications. For personal and commercial uses of the Library's images, the Library will send to the user a Commercial Use Agreement which states access rights to images and copyright restrictions. This agreement must be returned to the library before the order will be processed. It will also state proper credit to be used for the product whenever photographs are used in commercial or non-profit situations. Further information regarding Use and Reproduction may be found on the Library’s website: https://tessa.lapl.org/special-collections-ordering.

Preferred citation:

The Woman’s Building Collection, 1973-1991. Los Angeles Public Library

Location of this collection:
Central Library
630 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071, US
Contact:
(213) 228-7355
specialcollections@lapl.org
Website