BROOKLYN, NY.- Women of York: “Shared Dining,” a collaborative art project by ten women incarcerated at the high-security York Correctional Institution (YCI) in Niantic, Connecticut, is on view at the Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art’s Herstory Gallery from August 7 through September 13, 2015.

Working under the moniker Women of York and inspired by Judy Chicago’s iconic The Dinner Party, the group created Shared Dining, an installation that recognizes historical and contemporary women—including Eve, the Virgin Mary, Princess Diana, and Malala Yousafzai—who are of personal significance to the artists. Honoring each with a painted plate, chalice, and cloth runner mirroring the components of The Dinner Party, the settings were crafted from materials readily available or permitted within prison walls. Painted Styrofoam cups replace Chicago’s ceramic gold and white chalices; paper napkins and sporks take the place of flatware and cloth napkins; and crocheted triangles of remnant yarn are deployed for the finely embroidered Millennium Triangles.

In a written statement, the artists explain: “We were moved to honor the women who have touched our lives. Our plates represent their strength, struggles, courage and achievements. These women are models of who we aspire to be. We have not been limited by the lack of resources; our imagination and creativity allowed us to turn commonplace objects into art.”

The Shared Dining installation, whose title is a nod to the artists’ lived experiences as incarcerated women, was produced as part of a workshop, conceived of and facilitated by Elizabeth A. Sackler, with assistance from retired YCI Library Media Specialist Joseph Lea and Sackler Foundation Program Director Rebekah Tafel. Susan Meiselas and Catherine Muther produced audio recordings of the women’s stories, now an integral part of the Shared Dining installation. The voices of the incarcerated women bring presence to their absence.

“The Dinner Party is an iconic work commemorating women’s achievements in all disciplines,” explains Sackler, founder of the Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, the permanent home of