LOVE OR NOTHING

COLLABORATION

IN 1985, AN ASSEMBLY OF WOMEN IN GORILLA MASKS STAGED A MANIFESTATION IN FRONT OF THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN NEW YORK CITY. THEIR PURPOSE WAS TO PROTEST THE GENDER BIAS PRESENTED IN THE EXHIBITION “AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF RECENT PAINTING AND SCULPTURE,” A SEMINAL SHOW THAT FEATURED 169 ARTISTS, ONLY 13 OF THEM WOMEN. THE ACTIVISTS WERE THE GUERRILLA GIRLS AND, OVER 30 YEARS ON, THE GROUP IS STILL DISPUTING THE ENDURING LACK OF DIVERSITY IN THE ART WORLD — NOT TO MENTION THE UNDERLYING ASSUMPTION THAT WOMEN HAVE LESS TO EXPRESS OR INFERIOR SKILLS.

Still, headway has been made. A generation later, creative female camaraderie is mask free and on prominent display at Wilder, a contemporary design shop in Nashville, Tennessee. From Friday, February 12, to Friday, April 1, Wilder will host a pop-up showcasing 28 female makers, designers and artists. The collection, curated by Skye Parrott and Pamela Love (and available both online and in-store), includes home goods, jewelry, textiles and limited-edition prints by artists Amanda Valdez and Caris Reid. To celebrate this evolution and the ongoing revolution instigated by female creators, Double or Nothing asked a selection of the participants to share the female artists and works that most inspire them.