Mary Beth Edelson (6 February 1933 - 20 April 2021) was an American artist and pioneer of the feminist art movement, deemed one of the notable "first-generation feminist artists." Edelson was a printmaker, book artist, collage artist, painter, photographer, performance artist, and author. Her works have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
She began her studies at the Art Institute of Chicago and continued as she pursued her Bachelor's and Master of Fine Arts degrees. She taught art at the college level, including School of Art and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and at the Corcoran Gallery of Art's Dupont Center for Advanced Studies.
Inspired by Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne and Édouard Manet, she made paintings of mothers and children in the 1960s. During that decade, she owned a gallery in Indianapolis. Her art changed markedly in the 1970s when she shifted to performance and other forms of art, as well as how women are depicted in art. Her studies of philosophy and psychology greatly influenced her art, both in terms of content and medium. Important works of the early 1970s are representations of goddesses, which Edelson used as a contrast against established, patriarchal viewpoints of women. In Some Living American Women Artists / Last Supper, the faces of the disciples are replaced with noted women artists, and Story Gathering Boxes explored stories of the feminine experience. Other notable works include The Negotiation and Kali Bobbitt.
She worked to increase the rate at which works of art by women are among museum collections. She helped found and was an active member of the Heresies Collective, which published the Heresies journal, to show and promote art made by women. She also joined the feminist cooperative gallery, A.I.R. Gallery (Artists In Residence), which held exhibits of Edelson's work, including The Memorial to the 9,000,000 Women Burned as Witches in the Christian Era. In that exhibit, the intention was to empower women attendees. She was also active in the civil rights movement.
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Some of their strengths
Mary Beth Edelson has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Innovative, Intelligent, Outspoken, Altruistic, Optimistic, Intuitive, and Loyal.
Idealistic and Altruistic
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Mary Beth Edelson is someone who is an idealist and an altruist who possesses an innovative, intellectual, and analytical mind, and who approaches life in an optimistic and easygoing manner. A person who is a bit of a "lone wolf".
Soulful and Intuitive
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Mary Beth Edelson well know them as someone who can be graceful, romantic, and reserved, like gentle rain.
Altruistic and Innovative
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Mary Beth Edelson as someone who is altruistic, inventive, energetic, and socially-conscious.
Who is inventive, open-minded and inquisitive, optimistic and cooperative, and who loves working together with others.
Social and Intuitive
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Mary Beth Edelson is someone who values forming deep friendships and relationships, and who has strong intuition and reasoning skills .
They are also someone who is active, giving, optimistic, and cheerful, and who possesses a charisma that attracts friends and admirers.
Altruistic and Innovative
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Mary Beth Edelson tends to be someone who sacrifices things for the good of others and wants to do "good" in the world. Who is often thought of as an innovator or rebel who thrives when trying to chase a breakthrough of some sort, who has a clear and sound mind, and who can be charming and sociable.
Some of Mary Beth Edelson's challenges
While Mary Beth Edelson has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Mary Beth Edelson can be Emotional, Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, Standoffish, Indecisive, Unrealistic, and Anxious.
Rebellious and Emotionally Distant
One of Mary Beth Edelson's key challenges is that they are someone who can be rebellious and emotionally distant.
Mary Beth Edelson must also exercise caution as they can have difficulty dealing with responsibility, authority, or criticism.
Anxious and Inflexible
Mary Beth Edelson is someone who can be high-strung, impatient, and inflexible, who can be "penny wise and pound foolish", have poor listening skills, and who can be intolerant of people who share a different world view.
Serious and Callous
Finally, Mary Beth Edelson also can be too giving, come across as too "high and mighty", and can have a hard time expressing feelings.
