We don’t really know but it’s easy to imagine that women may have had a hand in painting the walls in the Caves of Altamira. In most civilizations, women have always danced and sung and told tales. Women have always been in the arts but have seldom been in control of the arts.
Milwaukee was actually a place where this began to change. In 1993 Renaissance Theaterworks was founded by women to give women responsibility for the art and the administration of a significant theater company. This was years ahead of the curve and remains rare. Although they were born less as a statement of gender equality than from the desire for creative expression, two of Milwaukee’s flourishing dance companies, Danceworks and Wild Space, were founded by and continue to be run by women. And these are not the only examples of women on the rise in the local performing arts scene.
Women have been in the news more than ever this year, and much of it has to do with the struggle against the worst of longstanding male prerogatives. For our Fall Arts Guide, we decided to look at several women who have challenged old habits by founding or taking leading roles within arts institutions. As happens in many ways, and more often than many of us realize, our city is in front.
May Adrales Associate Artistic Director, Milwaukee Repertory Theater Read Profile Suzan Fete Artistic Director, Renaissance Theaterworks Read Profile Jill Anna Ponasik Producing Artistic Director, Milwaukee Opera Theatre Artistic Associate, Skylight Music Theatre Read Profile Deborah Wenzler Farris Chief Executive Officer, Danceworks Read Profile Christine Flasch Founder, Music Director and Conductor, Southwestern Suburban Symphony Read Profile Rachel Sorce Executive Director, South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center Read Profile
Editor's Note: This article is part of our annual Fall Arts Guide. For the 2018 Fall Arts Guide, we interviewed six women that have founded or taken a leading role within arts institutions in the Milwaukee area to learn about their experiences. Read more of the Fall Arts Guide here.
