Chicago, Judy (1939-…), is an American sculptor and writer who became a leader in the feminist art movement. Chicago creates large multimedia projects that celebrate the unique qualities she sees in women. She is best known for her large sculpture called The Dinner Party (1974-1979). The work consists of a triangular dinner table, each side 48 feet (14.6 meters) long. The Dinner Party integrates traditional women’s crafts, such as weaving and embroidery, with ceramics. On the table are 39 place settings that honor famous women throughout history, both real and mythical. More than 400 artists contributed to the project. Judy Chicago discussed the history and meaning of the work in The Dinner Party: From Creation to Preservation (2006).
Chicago has also created other major works. The Birth Project (1980-1985) explores the essential female experience of childbirth through images she designed for needlework. The Holocaust Project (1984-1993) deals with hatred and violence against Jews. The project consists of various media, including photography, painting, tapestry, and stained glass. Resolutions: A Stitch in Time (1994-2000) combines painting and needlework to create images that playfully reinterpret traditional proverbs and folk sayings.
In addition to sculpture, Chicago has advanced her feminist views through her writings. They include the autobiographies Through the Flower: My Struggle as a Woman Artist (1975, revised 1982 and 1993), Beyond the Flower: The Autobiography of a Feminist Artist (1996), and The Flowering: The Autobiography of Judy Chicago (2021). Chicago and co-author Frances Borzello interpreted the life and work of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in Frida Kahlo: Face to Face (2010).
Chicago was born on July 20, 1939, in Chicago. Her original name was Judith Sylvia Cohen. She changed it legally in 1970 to rid herself “of all names imposed upon her through male social dominance.”
