ARLIS/NA Annual Conference, 1998 Session 12: Sunday, March 8 "Education of Women in the Arts: An Historic Overview" Co-Sponsors: Women and Arts Roundtable and Academic Libraries Division Susan Nurse , Co-Moderator, acknowledged Ray Anne Lockard of the Academic Libraries Division and thanked Sara Macdonald for her suggestions for program topics, and Co-Moderator Bonnie Reed introduced the panelists. Tara Tappert, author of the forthcoming Cecilia Beaux and the Art of Portraiture and guest curator of an exhibition of Beaux' work, presented: "'Painting is a great deal of trouble': Cecilia Beaux as an Educator." Tappert noted Beaux' presence in Caleb Carr's new novel, Angel of Darkness, a "lovely mix of fact and fiction." Beaux began her portrait career in the 1880s, transferring photographs of children to china plates and creating posthumous portraits, work which she did not regard as 'art' but mere 'work.' After studying with William Sartain she achieved technical mastery, the ability to 'see what was there.' By 1885 a double portrait of her sister and nephew had won a prize at the Pennsylvania Academy, and the next year she became the first woman to serve on an Academy jury. She also exhibited at the Paris Salon and continued her training in Paris. Devoting her life to artistic pursuits, like Henry James she rejected marriage for the 'sacred calling that required celibacy.' By 1895 Beaux was teaching at the Academy, the first woman instructor for a major art course. In her portrait classes she was notoriously hard on women students, and in 1913 wrote an article 'Why the Girl Art Student Fails.' Yet she had a different relationship with her male students (George Bellows, Arthur B. Carles, Will Richardson) considering them less of a challenge. She maintained her relationships with younger male artists even after she was no longer able to paint. In 1918, a young artist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wanted to study with Beaux, who refused to give private lessons. Stanton persuaded her to teach a portrait class of 10 students, which included both established artists and dilettantes, and continued to organize the successful class for ten years, although she was well aware of Beaux' negative views on women artists. Ironically, although Beaux taught many women, she only did one portrait of another woman artist, her sole acknowledgment of the artistic contributions of other women. Page Talbott, Project Director and Curator, 150th Anniversary Programs at Moore College of Art and Design, presented "When 30 Makes 10: The Philadelphia 10 Women Artist Group 1917-1945" (an article on the current exhibition of the group, the first retrospective since 1945, also appears in the February 1998 issue of American Art Review.) The group, which exhibited 65 times over a span of 28 years, began as 'Ten Philadelphia Painters' in 1917. All Philadelphia-trained, the women exhibited 247 paintings—landscapes, portraits and still lifes-- at the Art Club of Philadelphia. Although women's art organizations had begun in the late 19th century, the Ten, as they came to be known, exhibited for a longer period and more widely than any other group. It has been suggested that The Ten was formed in response to The Eight. Many of The Ten had trained at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (later the Moore College of Art and Design) , the first art school for women in the United States, founded in 1848. The premise of the school was that "a girl should have some practical training" and early alumnae held positions designing wallpaper, fabric and other industrial products. Gradually the emphasis shifted from design to fine arts as a career. Faculty, many associated with the Academy, led tours to Europe and art colonies or scenic summer communities and as a result, landscape painting became a specialty of the PSDW. Critical response to The Ten tended to focus on the individual personalities of the artist rather than analysis in gender terms, although one critic of the 1929 exhibition did comment that "forgetful of 'mother pictures,' the doors of life…have opened for women of our day" And Theresa Bernstein, the painter whose work was most commonly taken for that of a male artist, signed only her last name. The term 'masculine' still remained high praise for a woman artist. Bernstein and the other members of The Ten represented the first generation of modern artists to choose art over commitment to home and family, and although not avant-garde or modernist they were in the forefront of American women artists. Virginia Fitzpatrick, Director of the Art Education Certification Program, Moore College of Art and Design in her "Research on Curriculum Changes at an all Women's Art College" surveyed art teacher training beginning in the 19th century, with evidence from collections at the College. Drawing boards from the 1850s indicated that basic skills were in the curriculum at that time; other documents included photographs. The driving force behind the school was Sarah Peter. In the 1830s and 40s mid-19th century Philadelphia was in the midst of a depression. Peter, wife of the British Consul, turned to the needs of middle class daughters of businessmen and in 1848 started a school of deign, hiring drawing and engraving instructors. By 1858, the school catalog introduced the first mention of teacher training, and is the first instance of any formal program of teacher education in the U.S. Elizabeth Croasdaile, who had studied at he Kensington School of Design, was hired to teach teachers of art. In 1869 John Sartain was elected to the Board (he was also on the Board of the Pennsylvania Academy and publisher of Sartain's Magazine.) and sought to alter the direction of the school from applied to fine art. In 1872 Croasdaile became president of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, writing several textbooks on drawing and perspective. Despite the apparent need for classes in industrial design and the great influence of the Centennial exhibition, Sartain continued to press for more fine arts courses. By 1882, the program included lectures on historical and decorative arts. Ironically, at the same time, the Philadelphia schools were overflowing with immigrant childen in need of skills. At Croasdaile's death in 1885 Sartain was ready to implement changes. His daughter Emily, who had studied painting and drawing in Italy returned to Philadelphia to find no market for her work. In 1886 she became principal of the PSDW and renamed the program of 'The Normal Course for Teachers--3 year program' She introduced life drawing, portraiture, drawing from the antique and instituted examinations and a certificate. In 1889 the program was extended to 4 years. By 1918 the curriculum was similar to other teacher training programs. At Emily's retirement her niece took charge and in 1939 the school merged with Moore Institute. The following year a B.F.A. degree was offered. Discussions on admitting men resulted in a firm negative, ensuring the survival of what is now the longest continuous teacher preparation program at a women's college in the United States. In her presentation, artist Audrey Flack, spoke about "My Experiences as a Woman Artist." Flack, who studied at Yale and Cooper Union, has taught at Pratt and has been at the National Academy of Design since 1987. Her work is in collections worldwide. Nevertheless, says Flack, when she was growing up she never heard of any women artists except for Mary Cassatt. Once, later, she asked Janson why he'd included no women in his book; his reply was that she (Cassatt)" wasn't any good.." Flack had few women role models--her art teachers were male—at the High School of Music and Art. By the time she entered college, during the heyday of abstract expressionism, all her teachers were male, all her heroes (except, perhaps, DeKooning whose work she considers, along with Clemente's, 'hateful' to women.) Women artists did not sign their first names, and in the 50s, sexual harassment was simply part of a woman's art education. Flack mentioned her work Art and Soul, used frequently by art teachers, which was based on a Robert Henri book, and then launched into a bitter reminiscence of Jackson Pollock, her personal encounter with the artist when he was at his lowest ebb. Flack recalled that there were other women at Pratt, but they had the worst hours and the lowest pay. Flack also taught at NYU, supporting her family, but not aware that she was a 'woman artist' until the women's movement in the 70s. In an exhibition of 22 realist artists, she was the only woman in the show, and the only woman photorealist of her generation. Initially Flack emulated Franz Kline, but she moved in the direction of realism, breaking new ground in the use of the airbrush and projector. In light of an exhibition of her self-portraits opening at Miami University, Flack recalled that while painting she had to hold her child, who was handicapped. And she kept painting women, not realizing it, in works such as Harry Truman's Teachers and Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. Her work has not been without its critics: Jolie Madame , exhibited in the 70s, was called 'the ugliest painting of the year' in a New York Times review. Art News gave it an even worse review. Her Madonnas were eliminated from a Documenta show. Flack's latest project is equally controversial, her effort in the international competition for the Borough of Queens, Catherine of Braganza (Portugal), which was planned for the side of the East River opposite the United Nations. Flack attempted to create a multi-racial face, the personification of Catherine, with which young women could identify (the other 'female' images in public sculpture in New York City are the Statue of Liberty, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Alice in Wonderland.) Al Sharpton intervened on the grounds that Portugal held slaves, and although Catherine never owned slaves, the proposed work has now been completely politicized. The session concluded with questions and comments from the audience on a series of enlightening and provocative topics. Patricia Thompson Michigan State University thomps54@mainlib3.msu.edu