Graphical version

Women's Library

Fanny Adams pressure group

IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 106 6FYA

Held at: Women's Library

Title: Fanny Adams pressure group

Date(s): 1992-1993

Level of description: Collection

Extent: 0.5 A box

Name of creator(s): Fanny Adams

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

Fanny Adams (1992-1993) was an anonymous pressure group that was active from around Feb 1992 to Jun 1993. Based on the American 'Guerilla Girls', the group of women art practitioners from diverse backgrounds campaigned to publicly expose inequality and discrimination within the art world and to give women a stronger and more prominent role. Their key protest concerned the low representation of women artists in major London commercial galleries and in magazine reviews. Using the slogan 'Fanny Adams puts you in the picture' they ran a media campaign in the form of flyering, stickering and placing adverts or 'information pieces' in magazines including Art Monthly, Women's Art, Frieze and The Artist's Newsletter. They used statistical evidence to point out women's under-representation in art galleries, as well as 'naming and shaming' key figures in the art world responsible for showing and purchasing artists' work, including Nicholas Serota and Norman Rosenthal. The anonymity of the group allowed them to target individuals and galleries alike, for example: the posters for the 'Gravity and Grace' exhibition of sculpture at the Hayward Gallery was targeted with the text '95% female-free', and in Jan 1992 a thousand greeting cards with the proclamation 'Fanny Adams invites you to reconsider' was sent to key representatives in the visual arts. The Barbican Art Gallery reproduced the Fanny Adams advertisement 'Anthony D'Offay showed less than 15% women artists, or none at all, in 1991', in the exhibition Cutting Edge (Aug to Oct 1992).

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

The archive consists of copies of information pieces that appeared in art magazines during their media campaign to draw attention to discrimination and inequality in the art world. It also includes an article about Fanny Adams, a bibliography of 'Fanny's moments in the press' and video footage of events, including 'Fanny's Big Ball', 28 Oct 1992.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

Conditions governing access:

This collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids:

The Women's Library Catalogue

Detailed catalogue

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Anonymous donation [the anonymity of the donation was in keeping with the ethos of Fanny Adams which was made up of anonymous members].

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

Related material:

Further material relating to Fanny Adams is held by The Women's Art Library (MAKE) at Goldsmiths University Library Special Collections.

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Note:

Archivist's note: Finding aid created by export from CALM v7.2.14 Archives Hub EAD2002. Edited for AIM25 by Sarah Drewery.