Women’s art is rooted in a long history of traditional craft practices.
It is said that during the times of male-dominated society, if a woman had any brains she would explore her creativity through quilting, clothing design and needlework; creating utilitarian objects for the household to serve her husband and family. Being a part of an extended family lineage of talented and inspired craftswomen; has provoked her to analyze the evolution of craft from a domestic practice into a higher form of feminist art.
Before the women’s movement in the 60’s and 70’s, most women’s art was denied the title “fine art” because the techniques they used and the work they created was marginalized and devalued by the male-dominated art world. A hierarchy of the arts developed and was maintained by a common opinion that these decorative forms are less intellectually involved and serve only domestic and aesthetic needs. As craft has become apparent in more contemporary art, it is more accepted by the art community mainly because women themselves are being accepted as artists.