WHAT: A Symposium on The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago: Its Historical Significance and Influence, Presented by Santa Fe Art Institute and LewAllen Contemporary in association with Through the Flower

WHEN: Friday, May 11 – Sunday, May 13, 2007

WHERE: Santa Fe Art Institute, 1600 St. Michael’s Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505 and LewAllen Contemporary, 129 West Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501

WHO: Judy Chicago John Grimes Harmony Hammond Gail Levin Lucy Lippard Edward Lucie-Smith Tey Maria Nunn Elizabeth A. Sackler

and attendees from across the country

Santa Fe, New Mexico – Labeled by leading art critic Arthur Danto as “one of the major artistic monuments of the second half of the 20th century,” named by Newsweek as one of the “Ten Works That Have Rocked the Ages,” and called by the canonical Janson & Janson’s A Basic History of Western Art “the great monument to the women’s movement,” there is little question today about the enormous importance of Judy Chicago’s iconic installation The Dinner Party.

The nature of that importance and The Dinner Party’s far-reaching influence and symbolic value forms the subject of a weekend symposium in Santa Fe that will, for the first time, bring the artist together with several of the world’s leading authorities, writers and thinkers on the topic of this extraordinary work of art. Attendees from across the nation will participate in what is sure to be a vibrant and historically significant consideration of The Dinner Party as symbol, its place in art history, and the role it has played and continues to play in encouraging diversity of aesthetic narrative and expanding the role of art in effecting personal and social transformation.

A welcoming reception for symposium registrants and speakers will be held Friday evening, May 11, just before a public lecture by Judy Chicago in Tipton Hall on the College of Santa Fe campus. This will be followed on Saturday, May 12, by a day-long symposium full of presentations and panel discussions at the Santa Fe Art Institute, also located on the College of Santa Fe campus. On Saturday evening, symposium registrants are invited to LewAllen Contemporary near the Santa Fe Plaza for a reception and private walk-through with Judy Chicago of her recently opened (May 4 – June 18) exhibition of rare preparatory materials and test plates from The Dinner Party. The symposium will conclude on Sunday with breakfast in the gallery and a dialogue between Judy Chicago and Dr. Elizabeth A. Sackler. (See the enclosed brochure for further details on symposium presentations and panel discussions.)

Registration fees for the symposium are $295 for attendees who work for non-profit organizations and $395 for other attendees. An enrollment fee of $595 for Patron attendees includes such additional considerations as a private dinner with Judy Chicago at the home of her gallerists on Saturday night following the walk-through in the gallery.

A limited number of partial scholarships for the symposium are available to artists courtesy of LewAllen Contemporary; more information on applying for scholarship aid can be obtained from the gallery, (505) 988-8997.

In addition, a limited number of seats to the Friday evening lecture by Judy Chicago will be made available to the public at a cost of $15 advance purchase and $20 at the door. The lecture will be held in Tipton Hall on the College of Santa Fe campus. Advance tickets may be purchased by calling LewAllen Contemporary at (505) 988-8997.

The exhibition, History in the Making, runs from Friday, May 4, through Sunday, June 18. A reception for the artist will be held opening day, 5:30-7:30.

The symposium, “The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago: Its Historical Significance and Influence,” begins with a public lecture by Judy Chicago, Friday evening, May 11, and concludes Sunday noon, May 13. Normal gallery hours are 9:30-5:30 M-Th, 9:30-6:30 Friday and 11:00-5:00 Sunday.

For further information, please contact Diane Kell at (505) 988-8997 or [email protected].