'The Personal is Political: The Transformative Power of Women’s Art' Exhibition Opens October 4

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Oakton, in cooperation with the Koehnline Museum of Art, presents The Personal is Political: The Transformative Power of Women’s Art, a juried exhibit featuring 80 women artists, opening Thursday, October 4.

Ever since American feminist writer and activist Kate Millet coined the phrase “the personal is political” in her landmark 1970 work Sexual Politics, the words have continued to resonate in contemporary feminism. In this election year, the annual collaboration between the Koehnline Museum and Oakton’s Women’s and Gender Studies Program features works in a wide range of styles and media by prominent local and national women artists that engage with and respond to the multiple meanings in Millet’s words.

The public is invited to meet the artists at a free gala reception with refreshments, 5 – 8 p.m., on opening night. The Personal is Political: The Transformative Power of Women’s Art runs through Friday, October 26.

“The annual women’s juried art exhibition at the museum always proves to be one of our most popular shows,” said Koehnline Manager Nathan Harpaz. “Last year’s exhibition attracted 3,000 viewers and we anticipate even more this year because the event coincides with national elections.”

The Koehnline Museum of Art, 1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines, is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

The exhibition is made possible in part by generous grants from the Oakton Educational Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.