In episode No. 9 of the Femin • Is series, I sat down with Cyncha Jeansonne who created the controversial 1976 exhibition Women in Glasses at the Douglas Drake Gallery. We talked about the rebellion required to be an artist and how this two-day installation of 15 nude women came to be.
Featured Image is a detail from photographer Donald White’s series of photographs of the exhibition.
**CAUTION** Images below include nudity. Discretion is advised.
The debate on what qualifies as objectification of women’s bodies versus body positivity and agency certainly isn’t new even if some of the buzzwords are. While the conversation on the censure of women’s bodies continue today, the 1970s era of radical feminism certainly sparked some debates. Louisiana native and artist Cyncha Jeansonne played a part here in Kansas City with her two-day environmental installation at the Douglas Drake Gallery in 1976. While she tamps down on the idea of a feminist influence at the time, she asserts that the work was an act of rebellion, so it’s almost impossible to see the installation without the historical lens of feminism.
For another view on this installation, read “Women in Glasses” – A Reminiscence by Doug Drake
I could only get my hands on some lovely black and white prints of the exhibition, but you can see a color detail in the article above.
Finally, here is Cyncha’s collaborative portrait, appropriately colored in shades of pink.
This episode of KC Art Pie is made possible through an Inspiration Grant from
Rachelle Gardner-Roe 