Association MAV (Mujeres en las Artes Visuales) is an association that promotes to improve the opportunities in the arts for women. It was founded by the professor and art critic Rocio de la Villa, whose objective was the fulfillment of the Law of Equality through the Observatorio, by means of which analyzes and reports issues with objective data in figures about the situation of the professionals in the visual arts in Spain.
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Objectives
The Association MAV was created on May 9, 2009, by experienced Spanish women in contemporary art. MAV promotes initiatives designed to improve the position of women in culture and to combat discrimination.
MAV looks to balance the presence of Spanish women in all sectors of contemporary art—artists, gallerists, researchers, curators, professors, managers, museum directors etc. reporting that are very few women in places of importance in the artistic and cultural field. Mujeres en las Artes Visuales works for the implantation of equality policies in the visual arts with the Spanish Institutions and in all fields of art.
The association establishes connections with other organizations of women in culture and contemporary art to design and negotiate strategies.
Through its Centre of Documentation, it provides resources for the investigation and documents for labour best practices for the creation of new projects in the field of art, gender and feminisms.
Also it preserves the historical memory, with a chronology on art, woman and feminisms in Spain and in its international context. Besides, it has created the first skilled web in Spanish artists since the 10th century to the present.
Projects
Mujeres en las Artes Visuales improves the visibility of women in the arts and inform of their professional activities and productions on its web site; and through its on-line magazine M-Arte Y cultura visual.
One of the most important projects that it has generated is the Miradas de Mujer Festival, which from 2012 promotes exhibitions and conferences. The MAV´s Prizes, are an annually event to rewards to the relevant women in recognition to their important contribution in the Arts since 2010. In 2016, from March to December. organized the Miradas de Mujeres Biennial that holds the activities of multiple museums, galleries and arts centres all over the world, to give visibility and to improve the presence of the work of the women in the contemporary art.
Members
MAV has around 450 members. Since 2012, its president is the theorist and professor Marian López Fernández-Cao. The artist Marisa González is Vice-President since 2010. Since 2014, María José Magaña Clemente is General secretary and Luz Bejarano Coca, treasurer, both of them are art historians and cultural managers at the Instituto Cervantes
In the Board of Directors also participate women of big relevance in the contemporary art and the feminism. It is formed by the board of counsellors: Margarita Aizpuru, Susana Blas, Concha Jerez, Marina Núñez, Patricia Mayayo and Rocío de la Villa. Also this last one, directs the on-line magazine M-Arte Y cultura visual with Marta Mantecón and other women related with the feminism and the art.