Young Women's Caucus

The meeting was very small-- just 3 of us-- and discussion mostly focused on increasing membership numbers among younger women. Laura Morrison and Marcia Wood joined me.

Some thoughts we gathered:

-- Sometimes younger women don't want to admit that there's gender bias in the art world. Recruitment strategies should emphasize opportunity for career growth, or general activism, rather than specifically feminist activism.

-- There are opportunities for recruitment in colleges and art schools. There is a Young Women's group at Humboldt State that's doing well. We could contact them for advice on how to duplicate their efforts in the Bay Area.

-- Some groups have had good success attracting younger women by offering small scholarships ($1,000). The New Hampshire chapter recently awarded two such scholarships, and could be a model.

-- Mentoring also seems to be a big draw for young women. More research needs to happen, but common topics that were shared were: how to enter juried shows, how to approach galleries, artist statements, and critical feedback on new work.