Behold May Stevens’ provocative, beautiful, and distinctly contrarian portraits on her mother figures in celebration of women’s rights.
May Stevens (Painting '46) believed that politics and artmaking were inexorably intertwined. Through figurative paintings, photocopied and collaged works, colorful political pop canvases, and somber efficient sketches, she criticized American patriarchy, championed the Civil Rights movement, and imbued Marxist ideals into everyday life. Stevens was a self-proclaimed feminist and a leading voice for women’s rights.
Born in Dorchester, MA in 1924, Stevens grew up in a working-class family. In My Mothers, the artist has paired her birth mother . These works are tender explorations of both public and personal struggles; celebrations of revolution and public life; and demonstrations of the mundane and overlooked aging process.
A founding member of both the Guerrilla Girls and the collective feminist journal Heresies, Stevens understood class and gender as a fundamental, and often unspoken, element in art history and liberation movements. An alumna of MassArt, the nation’s only public freestanding college of art and design, Stevens’s work is provocative, beautiful, and distinctly contrarian.
Free.
Additional time info:
MAAM Hours:
Thursday, 12-8pm
Friday, 12-5pm
Saturday and Sunday, 11am-5pm
2023/01/26 - 2023/07/30
MassArt Art Museum (MAAM)
621 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
MAAM is accessible to mobility devices and strollers. Two manual wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Gallery benches are situated throughout our space, portable lightweight stools are also available. While our interior doors do not feature power assist, our museum attendants will be happy to assist you. We make large print versions of all exhibition texts available, please ask a museum attendant for more information. Childcare items, including strollers, diaper bags, and infant feeding supplies are welcome at MAAM. All restrooms are equipped with diaper-changing stations. Bottle and breastfeeding are permitted in all spaces. Service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, are welcome.
We believe that art is for all to enjoy. Please contact us prior to your visit to discuss your accessibility needs at maam@massart.edu or 617.879.7333.