Asian Women Artists: A Biographical Dictionary, 2700 BCE to Today

Gr 6 Up–A biographical dictionary of 108 Asian women artists from 2700 BCE to the present who have challenged the patriarchy that has stifled women’s creativity. The women covered include both well-known and lesser-known artists from across Asia. Their diverse professions—singers, weavers, or poets—challenge the normalized notion of the artist as a middle-class white man and the dichotomy between high and low culture. Each entry is more than a page long and includes a summary of the artist’s achievements, a detailed account of how she achieved artistic success, followed by a list of references for interested readers. The work concludes with a glossary that readers can check for the meaning of some terms in Asian languages. That is preceded by two appendices that group artists by genre and location, which helps students better grasp artists who relate geographically or by profession.