Suzanne Lacy: The Medium is Not the Only Message

Follow Lacy’s history as an organizer and socially engaged artist over the course of 50 years in a series of artworks that undo stigmas and subvert oppressive norms across feminism, violence against women, racism, gender identity, and aging. The earliest works in the exhibition are records of Lacy’s solo performances, including "Net Construction (1973)," "Prostitution Notes (1974)" and "Cinderella in a Dragster (1976)," whose confrontational nature established Lacy as a perceptive observer and daring critic of social issues and urban life. These works capture lives society may consider more taboo on the fringe. Later works include "International Dinner Party (1979)"—in which she staged a worldwide dinner as a tribute to Judy Chicago—and "Crystal Quilt (1985-1987)," which demonstrates the experience of how older women are represented in the media. Her newest work, "De tu Puño y Letra, Quito, Ecuador (2014-2015)," is one of the moving pieces. Lacy gathered men in a bullfighting ring in Quito, Ecuador, to record them reading letters by Ecuadorian women on childhood, the body, and domestic and gender-based violence.