Introduction

       From 1974 to 1979, iconic American artist Judy Chicago transformed her Santa Monica studio into a feminist workshop where she led a talented group of artisans and volunteers in the creation of her most well-known work: The Dinner Party. The triangular display features thirty-nine place settings that are dedicated to various prominent female figures from history and fiction. Each place setting includes a uniquely sculpted plate that evokes imagery of female genitalia, as well as an intricately embroidered table runner that communicates the significance of the woman the place setting is dedicated to. [1] Now located in the Brooklyn Museum, The Dinner Party has become synonymous with the American Feminist Art Movement of the 1970s. The American Feminist Art Movement involved women such as Chicago, Miriam Schapiro, Lynda Benglis, and many others who sought to assert feminist values into the art world, where women's work was often underrepresented. The expression of these values was often seen as radical by those outside of the feminist movement. This project will examine how the history and meaning of The Dinner Party reflect the values of the Feminist Art Movement and the feminist movement as a whole in the 1970s.