Vasari Art Codex

museum exhibitions schedule May 7, 2025 visibility 3 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

Women’s Work: The art of Dana Boussard (museum exhibition)

In 1973, three pioneering women artists—Lela Autio, Dana Boussard, and Nancy Erickson—proposed an exhibition of their soft sculpture at the University of Montana in Missoula, but were denied because their work was dismissed as "women's work." Undeterred, they staged the show in the empty Carnegie Library building in 1974, and a year later the Missoula Art Museum (MAM) was founded. Now, MAM's special exhibition "Women's Work" celebrates the museum's 50th anniversary by featuring works from these three artists, including three pieces by Dana Boussard: "The Rialto" (1971), "Sister" (1970), and "Another Time, Another Place" (1970). The exhibition honors the radical spirit of the original 1974 show and the fiber-art movement, which gained momentum alongside the women's movement and feminist art.

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Women’s Work: The art of Nancy Erickson (museum exhibition)

In 1973, three pioneering women artists—Lela Autio, Dana Boussard, and Nancy Erickson—proposed an exhibition of their soft sculpture at the University of Montana in Missoula, but were denied because their work was dismissed as "women's work." Undeterred, they staged their own exhibition in the empty Carnegie Library building in 1974, a year before the Missoula Art Museum (MAM) was founded. Now, MAM's special exhibition "Women's Work" celebrates the museum's 50th anniversary by showcasing the works of these three artists, including several pieces by Nancy Erickson (1935-2022) such as "Rainbow Flight" (1974), "Montana Selective Cut: Official Visit" (1974), and "Pattee Canyon Fire" (1977).