Series V. THE DINNER PARTY, 1979-2015 (#34.4-40.3, 115FB.1-115FB.3, 113F+B.6-113F+B.14, SD.1, E.4-E.6)
Scope and Contents
Series V, THE DINNER PARTY, 1979-2015 (#34.4-40.3, 115FB.1-115FB.3, 113F+B.6-113F+B.14, SD.1, E.4-E.6), contains materials related to projects, events, and exhibitions of Chicago's pioneering work, The Dinner Party. Chicago and a team of artists, artisans, and assistants created The Dinner Party between 1974 and 1979. It is a multi-media work of art celebrating the history of women in Western civilization. This series includes some text and materials related to the creation of the work and the early exhibitions, but the bulk of files relate to projects, events, and exhibitions from the 1990s onward. Of note are correspondence with the Brooklyn Museum and publicity regarding its acquisition and permanent housing of The Dinner Party. There is also correspondence related to other The Dinner Party projects, including The Dinner Party K-12 Curriculum Project (#39.2-39.3, 39.5). The curriculum consisted of a series of instructional units that were designed to help students better understand the contributions women have made across the arts, politics, science, etc. This series also includes files related to classroom activities centered on students creating their own versions of The Dinner Party. Of additional note are Chicago's notes and speech regarding the gifting of the international honor quilt to the University of Louisville and its Hite Art Institute in October 2013 by Through the Flower (#39.8). The quilt started in 1980 in conjunction with The Dinner Party exhibition in Houston. The idea of the quilt developed from Chicago's suggestion that people submit their own small, triangular quilts about women they admired and were not included in The Dinner Party. Through the Flower became responsible for over 600 submissions. While materials related to The Dinner Party can be found throughout the collection, this series consists of the major events, a selection of exhibitions (including loans of The Dinner Party test plates and related objects to groups shows), and project work related exclusively to this piece. See series IX for additional exhibitions which include The Dinner Party-related works. The majority of materials related to the original creation of the work and its exhibition, plates and runners, Chicago's writings about the project, efforts to find exhibition space, specifications for displaying the work, and reactions to The Dinner Party can be found in the Papers of Judy Chicago MC 502. This series is arranged alphabetically.
Dates
- Creation: 1963-2022
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1993-2022
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Access Restrictions:
Access. Collection is open for research. An appointment is necessary to use any audiovisual material.
Extent
54.71 linear feet ((116 +1/2 file boxes, 3 folio boxes, 2 folio+ boxes, 1 card box) plus 7 oversize folders, 1 supersize folder, 19 photograph folders, 2 objects, 5 archived web sites)40.714 Megabytes
Creator
- From the Collection: Chicago, Judy, 1939- (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.