---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Feminist art is not some tiny creek…"
description: "\"Feminist art is not some tiny creek running off the great river of real art. It is not some crack in an otherwise flawless stone. It is, quite spectacu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/andrea-dworkin-1998_ambition_feminist-art-is-not-some-tiny-creek-runn_1669142.png"
---

#  Feminist art is not some tiny creek running off the great…

![“Feminist art is not some tiny creek running off the great river of real art. It is not some crack in an otherwise flawless stone. It is, quite spectacularly I think, art which is not based on the subjugation of one half of the species. It is art which will take the great human themes -love, death…” quote by Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/andrea-dworkin-1998_ambition_feminist-art-is-not-some-tiny-creek-runn_1669142.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/andrea-dworkin-1998_ambition_feminist-art-is-not-some-tiny-creek-runn_1669142.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/andrea-dworkin-1998_ambition_feminist-art-is-not-some-tiny-creek-runn_1669142.png)

> “Feminist art is not some tiny creek running off the great river of real art. It is not some crack in an otherwise flawless stone. It is, quite spectacularly I think, art which is not based on the subjugation of one half of the species. It is art which will take the great human themes -love, death, heroism, suffering, history itself -and render them fully human. It may also, though perhaps our imaginations are so mutilated now that we are incapable even of the ambition, introduce a new theme, one as great and as rich as those others -should we call it joy?”

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Feminist art challenges patriarchal narratives, aiming to express universal human experiences without gender bias, potentially expanding artistic themes to include joy.

**In simple terms:** Art should reflect all humanity, not just male perspectives.

Key Takeaway

Create inclusive art that transcends gender oppression.

Themes

art feminism humanity joy

Mood

thoughtful hopeful

Type

artistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- gallery exhibitions
- public murals
- educational curricula
- community workshops

Key Concepts

gender equality universal themes creative expression

Questions to Reflect On

- Can art truly be gender-neutral?
- What new themes can emerge from feminist perspectives?

A Different Perspective

Risk of tokenism if not deeply integrated.

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[Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Feminist art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist-art/) [Flawless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawless/) [Heroism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroism/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Subjugation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjugation/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [Feminist art... will take the great human themes – love, death, heroism, suffering, history itself – and render them fully human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminist-art-will-take-the-great-human-themes-love-death-heroism/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Feminist art is not some tiny creek running off the great river of real art. It is not some crack in an otherwise flawless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminist-art-is-not-some-tiny-creek-running-off-the-great-river-of-2/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Feminist art may... though perhaps our imaginations are so mutilated now that we are incapable even of the ambition, introduce a new theme... should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminist-art-may-though-perhaps-our-imaginations-are-so-mutilated-now/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [When you understand a species' art, you understand that species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-zahn/when-you-understand-a-species-art-you-understand-that-species/)

[Timothy Zahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-zahn/)

> [“True art is thoughtful, emotional examination of how human themes impact the overall experience of existing. The rest is kitsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-madison/true-art-is-thoughtful-emotional-examination-of-how-human-themes/)

[Tiffany Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-madison/)

> [The work is what it is and hopefully it's seen as feminist work, or feminist-advised work, but I'm not going to go around espousing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sherman/the-work-is-what-it-is-and-hopefully-it-s-seen-as-feminist-work-or/)

[Cindy Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sherman/)

> [Recently some work I made could be seen as feminist art or work that relates to the body. That's just what I'm feeling -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/recently-some-work-i-made-could-be-seen-as-feminist-art-or-work-that/)

[Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/)

> [I never made "feminist art," and if I did it was not deliberate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-stuart/i-never-made-feminist-art-and-if-i-did-it-was-not-deliberate/)

[Michelle Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-stuart/)

> [For me, now, feminist art must show a consciousness of women's social and economic position in the world. I also believe it demonstrates forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-lacy/for-me-now-feminist-art-must-show-a-consciousness-of-women-s-social/)

Suzanne Lacy

> [Sometimes, being a feminist artist, there are times where I'm in a position where I just want to feel like I'm saying all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/sometimes-being-a-feminist-artist-there-are-times-where-i-m-in-a-2/)

[Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/)

> [Sometimes, being a feminist artist, there are times where I'm in a position where I just want to feel like I'm saying all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/sometimes-being-a-feminist-artist-there-are-times-where-i-m-in-a/)

[Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/)

> [The female body has always been a construction. Even feminist art of the 1970s fashioned a body in accordance with its own ideas, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valie-export/the-female-body-has-always-been-a-construction-even-feminist-art-of/)

[Valie Export](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valie-export/)

> [I didn't like anti-Vietnam War art. I didn't like feminist art. I thought it was heavy-handed and stupid - as art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-didn-t-like-anti-vietnam-war-art-i-didn-t-like-feminist-art-i/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [I wouldn’t want to be labelled unless it was something much broader and inclusive such as an ecological artist or a visionary artist, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolee-schneemann/i-wouldn-t-want-to-be-labelled-unless-it-was-something-much-broader/)

[Carolee Schneemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolee-schneemann/)

> [I am not Lyme disease, that's not who I am, I'm still a feminist artist, but this is a part of my story too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/i-am-not-lyme-disease-that-s-not-who-i-am-i-m-still-a-feminist-artist/)

[Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/)

## More by Andrea Dworkin

> [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [There is no place on earth, no day or night, no hour or minute, when one is not a Jew or a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/there-is-no-place-on-earth-no-day-or-night-no-hour-or-minute-when-one/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Men are rewarded for learning the practice of violence in virtually any sphere of activity by money, admiration, recognition, respect, and the genuflection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/men-are-rewarded-for-learning-the-practice-of-violence-in-virtually/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“Inferiority is not banal or incidental even when it happens to women. It is not a petty affliction like bad skin or circles under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/inferiority-is-not-banal-or-incidental-even-when-it-happens-to-women/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“Critiques of rape, pornography, and prostitution are “sex-negative” without qualification or examination, perhaps because so many men use these ignoble routes of access and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/critiques-of-rape-pornography-and-prostitution-are-sex-negative/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Surely the freedom of women must mean more to us than the freedom of pimps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/surely-the-freedom-of-women-must-mean-more-to-us-than-the-freedom-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [As I see it, our revolutionary task is to destroy phallic identity in men and masochistic non-identity in women--that is, to destroy the polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-i-see-it-our-revolutionary-task-is-to-destroy-phallic-identity-in/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The will to domination is a ravenous beast. There are never enough warm bodies to satiate its monstrous hunger. Once alive, this beast grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-will-to-domination-is-a-ravenous-beast-there-are-never-enough/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Feminism exists so that no woman ever has to face her abuser in isolation, alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-exists-so-that-no-woman-ever-has-to-face-her-abuser-in/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“people ask, well, dont sweet things happen? yes, indeed, many sweet things, but sweet doesnt keep you from dying, making love doesnt keep you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/people-ask-well-dont-sweet-things-happen-yes-indeed-many-sweet-things/)

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> [Feminism is a political practice of fighting male supremacy on behalf of women as a class, including all the women you don't like, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-is-a-political-practice-of-fighting-male-supremacy-on-behalf/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [As long as there is rape... there is not going to be any peace or justice or equality or freedom. You are not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-long-as-there-is-rape-there-is-not-going-to-be-any-peace-or/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Pornography reveals that male pleasure is inextricably tied to victimizing, hurting, exploiting; that sexual fun and sexual passion in the privacy of the male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/pornography-reveals-that-male-pleasure-is-inextricably-tied-to/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The man takes a body that is not his, claims it, sows his so-called seed, reaps a harvest - he colonizes a female body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-man-takes-a-body-that-is-not-his-claims-it-sows-his-so-called/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [We have a double standard, which is to say, a man can show how much he cares by being violent-see, he's jealous, he cares-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/we-have-a-double-standard-which-is-to-say-a-man-can-show-how-much-he/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

[Explore all 186 Andrea Dworkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

## More Ambition quotes

> [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/)

[Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/)

> [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/)

[Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/)

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[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/)

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[Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/)

> [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/)

[Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/)

> [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/)

[Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/)

[Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/)

> [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/)

[Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/)

> [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/)

[London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/)

> [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/)

[Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/)

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