1993-1995

“It was a relief to get it [HIV], because I didn’t have to be scared anymore. I was so scared of the idea of it.” – SMW.

“Ben Shawn, The Shape of Content. My frustration often is that many artists are focused on the form. Acquiring form through content. Hmmm what shape can we give to the content.” – AC and SMW.

...when the twin towers were still there…

“The bastard husband of Ana Mendieta. Writing my name over patriarchy. You're just flesh and bone like us. Mortal like us. More or less.” – SMW. “Covered in corn oil that never truly dries. Why people thought he was such an important artist. Oh, that asshole again.” – SMW.

“Carolee performance scroll. Silver tape because so did she.” – SMW.

“Works from the 60s. He was from Kansas too. I don't love the work but I heard that he was maybe gay. There was this extra mysterious layer.” – SMW.

“Patriarchy has put its stamp on her – some things don’t come from her. Separation between the mother and son – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” – SMW.

“They should go in. They are just trash anyway. It doesn't have a signature. But it is your signature. Where did the lips and eye end up?” – SMW.

“Me and my dad (Ragen), showing him a drawing of “the prodigal son returns” from art school (Pratt). My dad makes art for himself, and for us. So did my great-grandmother. When it was necessary for everything to be called feminist art in the 70s for the movement, I was already familiar with women art. My examples were never people who were in the market, and it was never my intent.” – SMW.

“Imagine someone in the 15th century thinking: ‘I'm gonna make a tapestry about unicorns.’ Circa 93/94 when I was an intern at the cloisters collection (NY). A responsibility to be gentle to other people – like men are not with sex.” –SMW.

“Kids were nasty when they found out I got a full scholarship.” – SMW.

“It’s necessary to have some money. It’s hard to know how I feel in the middle of doing something.” – SMW.

“Kansas landscape. There’s something romantic about the emptiness of space that I grew up in. Istory. Herstory. Horsestory. Horseterical.” – SMW and AC.

“De Ateliers teachers were all men and when I tried to get Carolee to come teach, they felt very threatened. Too much is scary for people. I don’t know if I can call myself subaltern, but maybe in my own way. Who are you actually talking to? Who would you like your audience to be? Can you choose it? Probably you can’t, it’s whomever shows interest and that is unpredictable.” – SMW and AC.