NEW YORK, NY.- Linda Stein is a feminist artist, activist, educator, and writer, based in New York City, who has been practicing for the last six decades. When Stein came to age, her path was paved by supportive teachers who encouraged her not to assume the norms of the time but to pursue her studies in art. The woman’s movement of the 1960s influenced Stein heavily, sparked in part by a Betty Friedan lecture at Cooper Union, and she became a prominent second-wave feminist herself, which is apparent in her practice.

Her Blades series, for example, was produced when she was asked to participate in Connie Robbins’ 1990 “Bad Girls” exhibition. Stein dulled machete blades by hand and used them in sculptural works, which were a response to the idea that: “This is the baddest thing I could imagine. Girls shouldn’t play with knives.” Stein’s Blades are on view in this exhibition. Another series Holocaust Heroes: Fierce Females highlights the bravery of World War II female heroes and includes a book of the same title that includes a forward by Gloria Steinem.

PROTECTION!

Stein’s work also addresses issues of persecution and protection, focusing on the oppression of the Other through the lens of anti-bullying and social justice. Her work was influenced by the collapse of the Twin Towers. Post-9/11, her sculptural work took a transformative turn from abstract to figurative, adopting an armor-like quality. The androgynous, sentinel-like figures of her Knights of Protection series are emblems of defense, symbolizing vigilant protectors. Over time, Stein added aspects of pop-culture and mythic symbols (Wonder Woman, Princess Mononoke, Lisbeth Salander, Lady Gaga, Storm, and Nausicaa) to spark dialogues on the dynamics of power and the human condition of vulnerability. Works in this exhibition include several of Stein’s Knights.

SEXUALITY!

In her youth, Stein also confronted her struggles with her sexuality, which is most apparent in her Profiles series - drawings, collages, and paintings of facial profiles, which start below the eyes - reflecting her need as a youth to avoid being “seen” because she felt different. Stein’s diaries starting from the 1960s are filled with sketches and text revealing the artist’s strife and confusion growing up at a time when homosexuality was considered anathema. Four of Stein’s Profiles paintings are included in this exhibition.

“My goal as an artist,” Stein says, “is to use my art to transform social consciousness and inspire activism for peace, equality, and diversity. With my androgynous forms and pop-culture icons, I invite the viewer to seek diversity in unpredictable ways, to ‘try on’ new personal avatars and self-definitions.”

Stein’s influential work has been recognized through various grants, residencies, and public art commissions. Internationally, her sculptures and artworks are featured in the permanent collections of esteemed museums and institutions, including the Espoo Museum of Modern Art in Finland, Museum Arnhem in the Netherlands, and Manchester Art Gallery and Victoria Gallery and Museum in the UK. Konstmuseet I Skövde in Sweden exhibited Stein in a retrospective in 2023 and currently has rotating Stein rooms on continuous display. In the US, her work is in the permanent collections of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Smith College, and Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, as well as in numerous private collections.

Linda Stein has been honored with the NYS Assembly Citation for Outstanding Leadership and her significant contributions to art education are celebrated through “The Linda Stein Upstander Award” at Penn State University, endowed to inspire courageous advocacy for justice. She is the Founding President of the non-profit Have Art: Will Travel! Inc. (HAWT) for Courageous Kindness, addressing bullying and diversity. The Stein Art Archives are at Smith College and the Linda Stein Feminist Art Education Collection will be housed at Penn State University. Stein’s recent awards include the 2018 “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” by Women’s eNews; the 2017 “Artist of the Year” by the NYC Art Teachers Association/UFT and the 2016 “Artist of the Year” by the National Association of Women Artists.

Anita Shapolsky Gallery
'Changing Landscapes of Female Artists'
March 5th – May 11th, 2024
Gallery 1: "Feminism! Protection! Sexuality!" The Art of Linda Stein