Iowa Abstraction: Female Artists Exploring Abstraction inspired by Mary Gabriel’s book Ninth Street Women – Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art. The book focuses on these five extraordinary women artists that did not receive recognition through art history for their contribution to Modern Art until recently. They were part of the Abstract Expressionist movement that put America at the center of the International Art scene around 1950.
These women contributed equally to the Ab Ex movement and made the men that were championed as great artists for years.
To pay tribute to these influential artists and women artists of today, we are honored to feature nine North Iowa women in this exhibition. Rosemary Alsbury, Gloria Beeman, Kathy Cessna, Deloris Frederick, Pamela Jost, Susan Nagel, Joan Webster Vore, Chris White, and JoAnn Willemsen – all-encompassing the aspects of abstraction and the powerhouse artists of our area. We are truly grateful for their contribution to the arts and our community.
Painting by Kathy Cessna, Vim.