Dinner Party for the 21st Century

For this project the students in the Art & Gender class were given complete control. After learning

about Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party and writing a paper on who they thought should be invited to

The Dinner Party of the Twenty-First Century, the students were interested in creating their own rendition

from a contemporary viewpoint. The class was broken up into groups and each group picked one person.

Then the groups were to research the person that they chose and then create a plate and a runner

for that person.

Students from this class include: Lindsay Aldridge, Kevin Baker, Hannah Bober, Nell Forrest, Audra Gabrielson,

Rachel Horstman, Ryan Krolicki, John Lalich, Jennifer Lanser, Whitney Lavash, Molly Maillette, Stephanie Merkes,

C. J. O'Reilly, Annette Schliepp, & Melissa Will

Ripon's take on Judy Chicago's Dinner Party...

Background: From 1974 to 1979 Judy Chicago and over 400 volunteers worked in collaboration to create The Dinner Party. Through this project Judy Chicago wanted to give recognition to women and women’s achievements, while altering the perspective of a male dominated history. Her inspiration came from Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. She created an equilateral triangular table measuring 48 feet on each side. After researching 3000 different women deliberations were made for who would be invited to this dinner. Each side consists of 13 place settings. All together there are 39 place settings. Each setting includes a porcelain plate, simple white utensils, a napkin, a goblet, and a runner. The 39 guests are represented through butterfly or vaginal imagery on a china-painted porcelain plate. The plate’s imagery is carried through to the runners. Each runner in hand stitched, usually the stitching reflects the stitching used during the time the person being represented lived, with decorative imagery and the person’s name embroidered in gold on the front. The plates are arranged in chronological order starting with Prehistoric to classical Roman, then Rise of Christianity to seventeenth century, and last the Age of Revolutions. There are 999 other women’s names written on the porcelain floor where the table rest.

Tyra Banks broke into the industry as a model, working her way up to supermodel status. She goes far beyond the stereotypical model. She is of historical significance because being African- American and a woman she is: a television personality, author, actress, singer, executive producer, talk-show host, photographer, and a motivational speaker for young girls. She has overcome such issues of gender, race, and class and like many public figures today she has dabbled and succeeded in many different fields of interest.

The colored pictures represent the different fields of work that she has pursued. The pop-art style of the pictures refers to her standing in pop culture. As for the plate, the angel wings represent her Victoria Secret modeling career. The lace symbolizes femininity and her role in the fashion industry.

Sandra Day O’Connor is a woman who fought hard to maintain women’s rights. As  the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, she is noted for attention to detail, factual accuracy, and consideration for the issues. She has been called the “Swing Vote” and is  highly respected for her dedication.

The plate symbolizes much: the struggle to break women’s chains, her high status in the court system and her importance of being a “Swing Vote”. The colors represent the US and American pride. The top of the plate signifies the cap that has been placed on women of society and their struggles.

Oprah Winfrey has made herself into an icon.  A mogul of the 21st century she dominates the entertainment scene.  Her resume includes TV/Pioneer, magazine founder/editor/director, producer/actress, online leader, philanthropist, TV programming creator, cable network cofounder, and Broadway producer as well as founder of an international book club.

-TV theme for her international media contributions
-Angle wings represent her Angel Network-charitable organization
-Colors Purple/Gold, her American "regal" status as well as her debut film, "The Color Purple"
-The book covers represent her book club and advocacy of education
-Her life motto: "Live your best life"

The Other has been around for millennia, but only recently has the concept come into existence.  As a representation of anybody other than the majority, it functions as a symbol of the minority under higher power.  Always outside of the center, the Other is ubiquitous and often ignored and undervalued.

The plate is brightest at its focus.  Darker gradation signifies the increasing unawareness the dominant power has of the Other moving further into the fringes.  The jags depict the poignant strength the Other has and can enact if ever given the opportunity.  The runner is the darkest, for it is furthest from the center.

"The Ideal Woman is Not Ideal”

Sark is a woman author who lives her life creatively. She wrote Succulent Wild Woman, a book inspiring women to be rare, brilliant, juicy, and exuberant. While her outlook on life is relatively positive, this book also talks about her own insecurities as an adult that came from abuse in her family.

The brilliant colors in the plate are representative of Sark’s outlook on life and also the cover of her book. The different women attached signify the diversity among women, implying that ‘the ideal woman is not ideal’. The bright colors in the runner mimic the plate, but the black framing the runner represents the darker sides of her life.