Martha Wilson

Martha Wilson is an American artist best known for her pioneering work in performance art and her contributions to the feminist art movement.

Wilson co-founded the Franklin Furnace Archive in 1976, which was a non-profit organization that supported avant-garde art, performance, and installation. Through the archive, Wilson promoted and exhibited the work of emerging artists, particularly women and artists of color. She also used her own art to explore issues related to gender, identity, and power.

One of Wilson's most famous performance pieces is "A Portfolio of Models" (1974), in which she posed in a series of photographs as different archetypal women, such as a housewife, a businesswoman, and a pin-up model. The work challenged traditional gender roles and stereotypes, and questioned the way women are represented in society and the media.

Wilson has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the arts, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and a Bessie Award for commitment to artists' freedom of expression. She continues to be an influential figure in the contemporary art world and an inspiration to younger generations of artists.