LA Freewaves has been researching artists and writers participating in Dis…Miss, a public art series with videos, postcards, and performances. 60 outstanding L.A. artists are engaging in dialogues around evolving attitudes toward gender and intersectional feminism. The artworks present nuanced imagery and ideas on these complex topics as they simultaneously aim to confront stubborn inequalities and stereotypes. Audience engagements have taken the form of screenings, workshops, exhibitions, surveys and discussions in Los Angeles County, Tehran, Manila, Graz and other locations. 

The research phase includes extensive re-examination of existing texts—many of which have already been commissioned and drafted—about the art in Dis…Miss and the festival-like performance events, all in preparation for the culminating publication of Dis…Miss, the book. The project question originated around the contrasts and commonalities between nonbinary ideologies and feminisms.  

Editor Catherine Wagley worked with all the essayists to further develop their descriptions, interpretations and discussions around the artists’ works.  Additional writers contributed texts on artists, and nonprofit organizations and artists also added their statements to the collection. Together they create a verbal rotunda of current gender/art ideas. A book is being designed which will be presented to the artists and writers in online discussions of the chapters based on the original postcard images and related questions. This process will give writers and artists opportunities to convene with each other and the public, to discuss the issues raised by the PSAs, events, and essays. They will debate the book’s format and content, maintaining the experiment-driven feminist spirit of Dis…Miss.  The results will be published as a printed book.