Dinner Plates and Female Iconography
The large ceramic plates featured at each place setting in The Dinner Party confront the viewer with bold imagery of female genitalia. On this page is an example of one of the intricately designed ceramic dinner plates from the installation. This plate is dedicated to the American feminist activist Margaret Sanger, who was a pioneer in the fight for reproductive rights in the early 20th century (see Julianna Vanderlinde's exhibit for more detail on Margaret Sanger). The depiction of female genitalia in artwork of the Feminist Art Movement was not meant to evoke eroticism, but rather to make a political statement by asserting and celebrating femaleness in places where it has been traditionally denied and excluded. [2] By utilizing this type of female iconography, feminist artists like Chicago refute the ideas of demureness and inferiority that have traditionally been imposed onto women, and instead blatantly display this image of womanhood with pride. [3] Chicago's use of genitalia imagery as a political statement is therefore reflective of the values of the Second Wave feminist movement in the United States as feminists rallied for the equality and empowerment of women. [4] The Sanger plate is a powerful example of this feminist imagery because while it is artistically stylized, it is obvious what the image is meant to depict. The bold red colour and intricate embroidery depict a powerful representation of the female reproductive system, which Sanger fought to liberate from male control. [5]
The use of painted china as a medium for the dinner plates also has significance to the overall meaning of the installation. Chicago chose to use this medium because it was considered traditionally feminine in Western society, and has therefore historically been dismissed as not a fine art, but a craft or hobby. [6] Chicago therefore decided to use the medium for The Dinner Party as a way of re-examining the so-called "feminine hobby" in a new, feminist context that asserted the skills of women as artists. [7] The same concept applied to the usage of embroidery for the table runners. Furthermore, in her study of the medium, Chicago was inspired by the sisterhood shared by groups of women who painted traditional china and passed the techniques on through generations. [8] This inspiration led Chicago to gather a group of female artists and volunteers to assist her in the creation of The Dinner Party and share in a feminist experience. The formation of this group reflected the trend within feminism at the time of organizing female-led groups that gathered to share and enact their feminist ideals in a space where women were valued, listened to, and understood. [9]