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    Three Weeks in May by Suzanne Lacy employed art as a means of exposing the rape of women. Lacy, in collaboration with other artists and performers, created a twenty-five foot long map of Los Angeles. Each day, Lacy stamped the map with the word "RAPE" in red ink representing the sexual assaults reported.

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    Three Weeks in May by Suzanne Lacy employed art as a means of exposing the rape of women. Lacy, in collaboration with other artists and performers, created a twenty-five foot long map of Los Angeles. Each day, Lacy stamped the map with the word "RAPE" in red ink representing the sexual assaults reported.

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    374 views1 page

    Background 102611

    Uploaded by

    bhewes25
    Three Weeks in May by Suzanne Lacy employed art as a means of exposing the rape of women. Lacy, in collaboration with other artists and performers, created a twenty-five foot long map of Los Angeles. Each day, Lacy stamped the map with the word "RAPE" in red ink representing the sexual assaults reported.

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    Background ThreeWeeksinJanuary:EndRapeinLosAngeles Throughoutthe1970s,callingattentiontoviolenceagainstwomenwasastrategyadoptedbyfeministartistswho soughttocombineartwithactivismastheyaddressedabroadaudience.Atatimewhenthepublicwasunaware ofthevastincidenceofsexualviolence,womenaroundtheworldsharedhiddensecretsofdomesticviolence, incest,sextrafficking,andrape.LosAngeleswasapioneerinestablishingorganizationstoprovideservicesto womenandchildren.Manyofthesehavegrownintoinfluentialorganizationsthatenlistabroadnetworkof supportthatincludestheCityofLosAngeles.FromtheLosAngelesWomansBuilding,foundedin1973,camea seriesofartworksfocusedonviolenceagainstwomen.ThefirstofthesetoreachabroadpublicwasThreeWeeks inMaybySuzanneLacy,adeeplycollaborativeworkcombiningperformance,conceptualart,andfeminism. ThreeWeeksinMayemployedartasameansofexposingtherapeofwomenandtookplaceMay828,1977.Lacy, incollaborationwithotherartistsandperformers,createdatwentyfivefootlongmapofLosAngelesinstalledin theCityMall.Eachday,LacystampedthemapwiththewordRAPEinredinkrepresentingthesexualassaults reportedthepreviousday.Asecondmapindicatedthesitesofresourcessuchasrapepreventiontrainingcenters andcrisishotlines.

    s. Theinstallationalsoincludedafullscheduleofpubliceventsrallies,radiointerviews,newsreleases,selfdefense demonstrations,speakouts,andartperformances.AmongtheoverthirtyinterventionsinThreeWeeksinMay wereeventsplannedby,forexample,theLosAngelesCommissiononAssaultsAgainstWomen,theRape TreatmentCenter,LosAngelesPoliceandSheriffsDepartments,andartworksbyartistssuchasLeslieLabowtiz, BarbaraSmith,CheriGaulkeandLacyherself,withaperformanceentitledSheWhoWouldFly. Artistically,ThreeWeeksinMayrepresentsasynthesisandexpansionoftherespectiveavantgardepracticesof artistsinfluentialtoLacyatthetimesheattendedCaliforniaInstituteoftheArts,suchasAllanKaprow,Judy Chicago,YvonneRainer,VitoAcconci,EleanorAntin,DavidAntinandJohnBaldessari.Initsdevelopmentwhat Lacycalledanextendedperformancestructureitisanearlydemonstrationofthetransformativepotentialof todaysnewgenreconceptual,relational,andsociallygenerativeartpractices. Lacydevelopedanactivistmediainterventionstrategywherethespaceofnewsmediabecametheplatformfor performance.Thismapand,infact,theentirethreeweeksofinterventionsandperformancesdemonstrates womenspeakingouttosharethehiddenrealityoftheirexperiences.Byexposingthefactsofourrapes,the numbersofthem,theeventssurroundingthem,andthemenwhocommitthem,webegintobreakdownthe mythsthatsupporttherapeculture,"accordingtoastatementLacymadetothepressatthetime. Theworkwasconceivedofasalargeperformance,onewithplayersthatwereartistsandpoliticians,reporters andpolicemenalloperatingwithinthevisionofart,asart.Theartistasactivist,theartistasaframerofdaily life,theartistasperformerratherthanobjectmaker,theartistestablishingtheenvironmentforinteractionand relationship,theartistasculturalworkerthesepositionswereinterrogatedinThreeWeeksinMayaswellasin manyperformancesofthattime. Todaytheartworldrevisitstheworkofconceptualandperformanceartistsfromthe1970sthroughexhibitions andrecreations.Lacysapproachtoreinvention,sinceherworkissocontextdriven,istoredefinethepastwork intermsofitsrelevancefortoday.ThecurrentprojectexploresrapeandsexualviolenceinLosAngeles,including itsactivisthistory,butcallsattentiontowhatisneededNOWtoendviolence.Thisartworkconvenesacritical conversationwithinwhichaseriesofactorsrepresentingdifferentorganizationsandsocialsectorsdescribe wherewewanttobe,asasociety,inthenextinthenextfourdecades. (ThankstoCaraBaldwinforsectionsofthisdescription)

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