Insurgent Muse: Life and Art at the Woman's Building

by Terry Wolverton

In the 1970s, the West Coast feminist art movement coalesced around the Woman’s Building in Los Angeles, founded by artist Judy Chicago. Arriving as a young art student in 1976, Terry Wolverton stayed on to become a teacher and co-founder of the Lesbian Art Project, and eventually, executive director. Her journey—emblematic of many women who sought to redefine themselves in the light of feminism—entails confrontation with the damages of sexism, the pitfalls of utopian community, and the forces of social backlash.

Terry Wolverton is the author of the novel Bailey’s Beads, two collections of poetry, Black Slip and Mystery Bruise. She has also edited numerous anthologies of gay and lesbian fiction, including His and Hers (Vols I-III).

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Feminism, Memoir

200 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written memoir about writer Terry Wolverton's relationship with the legendary L.A. Women's Building. I appreciated her honesty and ability to examine the greater picture of how the staff and mission changed over time from the founding of the building in the 1970s through its transformation and eventual closer in the late 1980s. This kind of memoir is still relatively rare so if you're looking for memoirs about feminist institutions from this time period or art and cultural memoirs from a Queer perspective, this is definitely the book for you. That said, Wolverton is from a generation of lesbian-feminists for whom everybody was straight or lesbian/gay and she sticks to that perspective through the more recent sections of the book. It brought back a few less than pleasant memories for me (nothing huge, just annoying), so I mention it by way of preparing readers new to the queer politics of the era. Still very worth tracking down, despite that caveat.

[Julia Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good companion book to Jeanne Cordova's When We Were Outlaws. Both women devote their lives to building and maintaining feminist institutions in Los Angeles, struggling against a society that momentarily makes space for them, only to close that space after a few charmed years. What remains, however, are freedoms and possibilities that were previously unthinkable. Even if the institutions couldn't last and the revolution wasn't complete, the changes are undeniable. Both books document the efforts that went into creating these changes.

[Emily Quane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolverton knows how to reach the reader's heart. She takes the reader's hand and says, Come with me inside the Woman's Building, let me show you what we were and wanted to do. This story of Feminism will break your heart and sew it back up again making you ready to take what the women before you have achieved and build a life and a world on their experience. After I finished Insurgent Muse, I just wanted to hug all these women of the Woman's Building and thank them for what they have done for us. :)

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

despite wolverton not being an academic writer, i learned more about the changing face of feminism -- its 1970s appeal, its movement into the 80s and 90s, and it's historical legitimacy on a personal & artistic level -- by reading this. i might just blame this book for making me lose the "post" in my "post-feminist" position.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book for any feminist's bookshelf.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent history of Women's Art Center and movement in LA.. and of the womens' movement in the 70's.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of the LA women's scene written by an eye witness to the formative days.