Sara Diamond: Memories Revisited, History Retold

Johanne M. Pelletier is an archivist and Ph.D. candidate in the
Department of History and Philosophy at the Ontario Institute for
Studies in Education.

This catalogue features the work of video artist Sara Diamond. The
introductory essay, by Karen Knights, places Diamond’s work in the
context of developments in women’s history and feminist critiques of
patriarchy in art.

While feminist scholars developed analyses of the socio-political
nature of women in Western culture, artists were also examining the
system of representation, or traditional art forms, that perpetuated a
patriarchal interpretation of women’s lives. Diamond’s work,
particularly through the Women’s Labour History Project, reflects both
of these accomplishments. Her use of oral histories, combined with
existing sources such as archival footage, illustrates the
contradictions between actual experience of women’s lives and the
official constructed image of women in history, art, and culture.
Keeping the Home Fires Burning (1988), Ten Dollars or Nothin’ (1989),
and The Lull Before the Storm (1990) focus on the historical
examinations of women’s contribution to the work force and labor
organizing. The use of melodrama, musical numbers, and other forms of
what Knight calls “propaganda” also illustrates the past
misrepresentation of women in archival material.

The catalogue also includes a videography, a bibliography of readings,
a biography of Diamond, and a section by curator Jean Gagnon on
Diamond’s installations at the National Gallery. The section examines
the video installations in more detail and describes how each
articulates a historical conscience.

While the curators’ stated intention is to make video art more
accessible to the general public, this catalogue welcomes only those
already familiar with critical writing on the “master narrative” and
feminist critiques of history. It is a challenging and articulate
examination of a Canadian artist and feminist historian whose work
defies reduction to a single exhibition catalogue.