Layering feminist methodologies: self-organising, collaborating, and resisting as praxis in the work of women-led artists advocacy groups in the 80s’ island of Ireland

In this paper, I focus on the “rhizomatic” relationships of friendship, solidarity, and collaboration between three women artists’ advocacy groups active in the late 80s: the Irish Women Action Group (London), the Northern Irish Women Artists’ Action Group (Belfast & North of Ireland) and the Women Artists Action Group (founded in Dublin, all-Ireland wide). These initiatives provide a safe space for the personal artistic development of women artists – including queer women - coming from different social-economic backgrounds and political identities that eschew the divisions of the then ongoing conflict in the North.

I analyse how these groups formed at a very specific moment in time, and what has been the catalyst of the establishment of these initiatives, including the key role of artists coming from the Irish diaspora, as well as the influence of grassroots feminist-led activist organisations and the Irish second wave feminist movement.

After few intense years of continuous activity and these initiatives naturally dissolved, leaving behind an intricate network of friendships and connections – which reflects how the North, the South of Ireland and the UK are strongly interrelated in the Irish feminist experience and artistic production.