We are so thankful for you and all the work you do to help the world recognize and celebrate the fantastic contributions of artists. We know you work hard to do this, and we appreciate it. But we also want to bring something to your attention. Representation matters, and the numbers (which are quite appalling, don't lie). We need your help.
Did you know that "more than $196.6 billion has been spent on art at auction between 2008 and the first five months of 2019. Of this, work made by women accounts for just $4 billion—around 2 percent." (Artnet)
Did you know that "there are no women in the top 0.03% of the auction market, where 41% of the profit is concentrated. Overall, 96% of artworks sold at auction are by male artists." (An Empirical Analysis...)
What about the fact that "nearly half (45.8%) of visual artists in the United States are women; on average, they earn 74¢ for every dollar made by male artists." (National Endowment for the Arts)
Take into consideration the mere 9% representation of female artists at a prestigious, yearly western art show in 2021. (Cowgirl Artists of America)
We want to bring this to your attention, because mindful attention is going to be needed to change this. We ask that you pay attention to the ratio of female to male artists at your shows and in your galleries, and in the galleries and exhibition of your friends for that matter. We ask that you start brining awareness to yourself and others, and ask why this is happening and how you can change it. We ask that you bring awareness to the fact that algorithms are bias, so when you see fantastic male artist after male artist, know that there are just as many fantastic female artists that aren't coming across your instagram feed. We ask that you bring awareness to the fact that a biased history creates a bias present, unless awareness and change is mindfully cultivated.
As Cowgirl Artists of America grows we want to give you resources to help you bring awareness to the spaces in which you have influence. We want to help you problem solve when you want to represent more female artists, but they aren't applying or you don't know where to start. We want to be in this together, to fix this together. Please join us in our cause to bring equal representation to female artists in the western art world. Your awareness, your voice, your actions matter.
Do you want to get involved, or partner with us. Please send us an email.