Inspired by the exhibition Making Her Mark: A History of Women's Art in Europe, 1400-1800, the AGO welcomes Ingrid Mida as part of a series of in depth conversations with art historians and creatives and as they walk through the themes of the exhibition. 

Dr. Ingrid Mida (PhD, Art History and Visual Culture) is an art and dress historian and the author of several books including The Dress Detective and Reading Fashion in Art. She has assisted museums and private collectors in North America and Europe in dating and interpreting photographs, artworks, and dress artifacts. This exploratory session about the lives of women makers across society and time, united by their artistry.

Fashion is ever changing, and is reflected not only in the clothing we wear but also in objects like paintings, ceramics, and furniture. Each object – whether an artwork or an article of clothing – tells a story linked to a particular time and place. In this presentation, Dr. Ingrid Mida will use fashion as a lens of analysis to discuss selected artworks and objects on display in the Making Her Mark exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The focus will be on how fashion was used as an artistic tool by selected makers to convey notions of class, status, gender, and culture. 

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Introducing a cast of new artistic heroines, Making Her Mark brings together more than 230 items—from royal portraits to metal work, ceramics, textiles, and cabinetry—all to showcase the diverse contributions of women to Europe’s visual arts. The exhibition is set apart by its exclusive focus on objects made by women; it pioneers a dialogue among women makers from different levels of society, spanning centuries through their art.