Feminist Art Journal, founded in 1972, was one of the first periodicals to focus on women in the visual arts. It was published from 1972-1977 and played an important role in the Feminist Art Movement, exploring not just the content of women's art work but what it meant to be a female artist.
Feminist Art Journal critically examined how body imagery and sexual politics were related to women’s art. For several years, it was the only full-length publication devoted to women’s art. Eventually it reached a circulation of 8,000.
The Feminists of Feminist Art Journal
Art historian and critic Cindy Nemser edited the Feminist Art Journal. She also wrote many of the art criticism pieces that appeared in the journal. In addition to Cindy Nemser, other feminists involved with the publication were Patricia (Pat) Mainardi and Irene Moss. The three women had left the journal Women and Art to become the editorial board of Feminist Art Journal, which they launched with the April 1972 issue.
Getting to the Heart of the Matter
The first Feminist Art Journal included Pat Mainardi's piece “A Feminine Sensibility?” The essay crystallized the idea behind the need for their publication:
"So now the art world is asking itself if there is a feminine sensibility in art. No one ever asks if there is a masculine sensibility in art for a very simple reason – men have appropriated all of art to themselves.”
-Pat Mainardi, “A Feminine Sensibiity?” Feminist Art Journal, Vol. 1, Issue 1, April 1972.