Athena's Daughters
Mina Cheon, Jessica C. Damen, Espi Frazier, Tonya Ingersol, Allyson Smith, and Grace Hartigan
at Maryland Art Place
Through January 8, 2005

Maryland Art Place publicized this exhibit of artists selected by Grace Hartigan as exploring "issues faced by artists who have specifically chosen to create outside the mainstream marketplace." What does MAP consider outside the mainstream? MAP is one of Baltimore's finest galleries, normally showing works by challenging, sometimes emerging, but always mainstream, artists.

Then Grace Hartigan's statement:

"It has taken centuries but at last women artists are regarded as seriously as men.

"I have chosen, first of all for excellence, five women who for reasons of race, color, age or sexual orientation are not welcomed into the "main stream" art world. What is interesting is that their works could only be done by women--black women icons, lesbian marriages, motherhood.

"For me this gives the work seen here a special excitement."

As I think about the exhibit and reread the above, my response is "Bushspeak!"

The artworks exhibited do not differ from those shown in the mainstream marketplace. Women artists are not yet regarded as seriously as men: there is still a 'canvas' ceiling at the very top. Except for that canvas ceiling, the mainstream art world is one of the more welcoming places in our society to women of race, color, age or sexual orientation. Male artists have done some psychologically challenging and excellent work on black women icons and motherhood. Granted, these are the first works I have seen explicitly addressing lesbian marriage.

But this has nothing to do with the artists, just the positioning of the exhibit. Athena's Daughters are former students and assistants of Hartigan, they clearly merit an exhibition at MAP. As a group they are excellent, at or near the top of their careers, with many reviews, publications, awards, fellowships, and degrees. And with the exception of one POR, three NFS, and the single Hartigan, prices were from $2,400 to $10,800.

Definitely mainstream market prices. Art is about truth, not the art marketplace, which is frequently bushspeak.

www.mdartplace.org