Birth Project

Judy Chicago collaborated with more than 150 needleworkers during the Birth Project to create dozens of images combining painting and needlework that celebrate various aspects of the birth process; from the painful to the mythical. Sometimes witty and always original, this series celebrates the birth-giving capacity of women along with their creative spirit. Birth Project works were toured by Through the Flower to over 100 venues, then gifted by the organization to various institutions around the country. The Birth Project is included in many prominent permanent collections. During this same period, Chicago created numerous drawings and prints in sizes ranging from the small to the monumental. Some of these images relate to specific works from the Birth Project while others are parallel projects, for example, In the Beginning, a monumental, 30 foot long drawing in Prismacolor pencil which is a visual narrative, combining a written text re-imagining the Genesis myth with powerful symbolism. This same Re-Creation myth (written by Chicago) provided the underpinnings for The Creation, a 14 foot tapestry woven by Audrey Cowan, Chicago’s long time collaborator. In 2011, The Creation was exhibited at the Museum of Art and Design in New York as part of an exhibition titled Judy Chicago Tapestries: Woven by Audrey Cowan, the first survey of Chicago's tapestry designs. In a catalogue essay titled "Judy Chicago's Tapestries: Persuasions of Change", senior curator David Revere McFadden wrote about The Creation tapestry: "Casting this archetypal story as that of female fecundity flies in the face of visual, cultural, and religious history. It becomes a metanarrative by implication, reflecting Chicago's determination to challenge the status quo and to question received knowledge".

Print Archive

Birth Project Download

Color Trial Proof - Section One - Creation Scroll Almost Born Guided by Goddess, 3/30 Guided by the Goddess 18/75 Birth Tear/Tear 18/75 Earth Birth 18/75 Birth Trinity 18/75 The Creation 18/75 Pattern for The Creation - Earth plate Pattern for The Creation - Earth plate Pattern for The Creation - Volcano plate Pattern for The Creation - Waterlife plate Pattern for The Creation - Waterlife plate Pattern for The Creation - Sky scene plate Pattern for The Creation - (Hu)mankind plate Drawing for silkscreen print - pattern for Birth Trinity/Birthing plate Drawing for Silkscreen print - Pattern for Birth Trinity/Earth. Mother plate Drawing for silkscreen print - Pattern for Earth Birth - Master (or Mistress) plate Drawing for silkscreen print - pattern for Earth Birth - Gray plate Drawing for silkscreen print - Pattern for Earth Birth - Figure plate Drawing for silkscreen print - Pattern for Earth Birth - Yellow Plate Drawing for silkscreen print - Pattern for Birth Tear/Tear - Babies, cord, fetus plate Drawing for silkscreen print -pattern for Birth Tear/Tear - Twisted cord plate Drawing for silkscreen print -pattern for Birth Tear/Tear - Ribbon plate Drawing for silkscreen print - pattern for Birth Tear/Tear - Mother plate Drawing for silkscreen print - pattern for Birth Trinity - Background blend Pattern for The Creation - Earthlife plate Drawing for Silkscreen Print - Pattern for Guided By the Goddess - Water Plate Drawing for Silkscreen Print - Pattern for Guided by the Goddess - Earth Plate

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Judy Chicago can be reached at: PO Box 1327, Belen, NM 87002 505-861-1499, info@judychicago.com
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