Influences of Gender and the Southwest

Influences of Gender and the Southwest

Gender influences women artists in many ways. Some artists utilize their artwork to combat sexism. Others portray gender through their art in different ways than male artist might. Additionally, the careers of women artists may be influenced by their gender (or physical sex).

The influence of the southwest is also very visible in the artwork of many artists who live or have lived here. Some are influenced by the diverse cultures who make this region their home. Others are influenced by the landscape. (I realize that this paper is not representative of all of the cultures which have helped to shape the southwest. This was not intentional. It is primarily because, regretably, I had a hard time finding resources on women artists in the Southwest who were from cultures other than Euro-American, Native American and Mexican-American.)

Through this paper, I hope to be able to show examples of a few of the many ways in which gender and the southwest influence the lives and careers of southwestern women artists, and in turn, how many of these artists utilize their art to change people's perceptions of gender, the southwest and southwestern cultures.

One artist whose art is strongly influenced by living in the southwest is Roz Driscoll. Driscoll lived in Arizona for seven years during the 1970's. According to Driscoll, the pieces in her exhibit, A Sense of Touch, " . . . grew out of traditions such as Native American pueblos, Indian temples and wells, Egyptian tombs. They reflect themes as, plateaus, and canyons of the Southwest . . ." (1999)

Another artist whose work was strongly influenced by the Southwest is Georgia O'Keeffe, whose art was strongly influenced by the landscape of New Mexico. In fact, " . . . that region's dramatic mesas, ancient Spanish architecture, vegetation, and desiccated terrain became her constant themes. ( Gale, 1998 )

Culture differences in the Southwest have also been portrayed through the artwork of many Southwestern women artists.

The artwork of Carmen Lomas Garza, who has spent much of her life in Texas, is strongly influenced by her Chicana heritage.