Arlene Raven
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arlene Raven (born Arlene Rubin in Baltimore) was an art historian, author, writer, editor, critic, lecturer, art curator, feminist and award winner. She was a founder of the Women's Caucus for Art, (1972) the Los Angeles Woman's Building (in 1971, with other women) and Chrysalis magazine.
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[edit] Childhood & education
Arlene Raven was born to Joseph and Annette Rubin, middle-class Jewish-American parents, in Baltimore, Maryland circa 1944, and has a sister, Phyllis, living in New Mexico. Her father was a bar owner, mother was a homemaker She studied at several colleges and universities including, Hood College, George Washington University and The Johns Hopkins University.
Eventually, she earned an MFA in painting and a MA and PhD in art history. She also received a Artium Baccalaureatus from Hood College in Maryland.
[edit] Teaching and criticism
Raven held major teaching positions: Graduate Critic in Residence at institutions as diverse as the California Institute of the Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art, Parsons The New School for Design, UCLA, University of Southern California and The New School for Social Research. She was also a lecturer and was the architect of educational programs at the Feminist Studio Workshop at the Woman's Building. Raven was, in the 1980's, the chief art critic for the Village Voice.
She curated ten exhibitions, including ones for the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Long Beach Museum of Art.
[edit] Works
Raven authored nine books, including:
- Feminist Art Criticism: An Anthology (1988) (and editor
- Art in the Public Interest (1989)
- New Feminist Art (1993)
- Nancy Grossman (1991)
- June Wayne: Tunnel of the Senses (1997)
[edit] Personal life & death
Raven was a major figure in feminist art, instrumental in freeing that art from male dominance. She championed the works of numerous male and female artists including the works of Nancy Grossman, and Judy Chicago.
Raven died of kidney cancer at her home in Brooklyn, NY on August 1, 2006 at the age of 62. She was survived by her longtime partner, artist Nancy Grossman.
