On diversity and inclusion in art and education
A short discussion on Linda Nochlin’s Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists by Sean Marie Prythyll A. Patnubay | October 29, 2020
Her main contentions in her essay were that the odds were never in our favor like in terms of education which connects to recognition. Maybe there were times that we achieved equality but more often than not it was stacked against us. From the moment of conception during those earlier eras, those who were born as women were unable to take up the mantle of profession from their fathers because it was usually the sons that followed after their artist fathers and grandfathers which is why there has been little to no great women artists. To some extent, I do agree with this. Now, we are more open to daughters following in the footsteps of their fathers and the like but there are still numerous instances when women still had to work harder in order for them to be recognized, in art and in education (maybe in proving their decision to follow the footsteps of her parents even). This is why I think that Nochlin’s essay is still relevant today because the stains of the past cannot be easily washed off and we must remember that it was happening and is still happening because it mirrors situations of today. By reading her essay, we are able to appreciate the pains that we had to go through to get this work-in-progress inclusivity that we “enjoy”.
