Art that inspires conversation and drives discussion is art worth studying and appreciating.

From Thursday, October 27 through Saturday, January 7, several pieces of art worth discussing will be on display at Schneider Museum of Art in the new “Women on Paper: 10 Women Artists” exhibit.

Director Scott Malbaurn says there were a few inspirations behind the exhibit. The first comes from the widely popular work of artist Chuck Close exhibited the previous summer. “This group of artists are similar in the way that they have or have had very successful careers in which they sincerely commit themselves to their work,” says Malbaurn. “Women artists, as well as artists of diverse cultural backgrounds, have often been placed in the margins.”

By highlighting these works, the idea is also to cultivate discussion and conversation in the classroom. “Many of our members and volunteers ask for exhibitions that they feel that they would otherwise have to travel out of the region to see. To experience examples of work by these artists here in Southern Oregon is amazing.”

Along with the exhibit, a free catalogue by Trinie Dalton will also be available. “We discussed how a women’s exhibition can be seen as a form of sexism in itself,” Malbuarn says. “Some women artists do not want to be known as a ‘women artist.’ They want to be known as an ‘artist.’ It is contingent upon on the inception and reasons of the show. We wanted to present a topic of discussion along with the general primary thing we do––presenting contemporary art that is important in today’s art world.”

Among those artists are the colorful works of Polly Apfelbaum, outstanding patterns by Kiki Smith, and intricate textures by Barbara Takenaga. “Trinie’s essay goes deep into the artists’ approaches, relationships between one another, and into details of some of the work. She went above and beyond what we requested. These artists are multidisciplinary and they see the creation of each piece not as secondary but as an extension of what they do.”

“Women on Paper: 10 Women Artists”

10 am – 4 pm, Mon. – Sat.

Oct. 27 – Jan. 7

Schneider Museum of Art, Southern Oregon University, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland

Free