Archives West Finding Aid

Artists Jo Hockenhull and Ann Christenson were faculty colleagues in the Fine Arts Department at Washington State University, and both were involved with the National Women's Caucus for Art (NWCA). Through that involvement, and their leadership in the caucus, both attended and participated in the United Nations (U.N.) Fourth World Conference on Women and the 1995 NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) Forum on Women. Both conferences were held in China in the fall of 1995.

Artist and educator Jo Hockenhull joined the faculty of Washington State University in 1972. She established the printmaking program in the Fine Arts Department that year, and later headed the university's Women's Studies program (1986-1996). She earned her A.B. degree in Arts from Knox College (1963) and her M.A. from the University of Iowa (1966). She is a painter, illustrator, and printmaker.

Artist and educator Ann Christenson joined the faculty of Washington State University in 1990. She coordinated the ceramics program in the Fine Arts Department and worked with Women’s Studies on “Reflections on Two Landscapes,” the US-China Women Artist Exchange. Christenson holds a B.A. (1964) and an M.F.A (1983) from University of California Berkeley. Her ceramic and sculptural work has been exhibited across the United States, and in China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Spain, and Russia.

The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, was held in Beijing from September 4 to 15, 1995. It was held under the auspices of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, and over 17,000 people attended.

The NGO Forum on Women was affiliated with the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women, and was held from August 30 to September 8, 1995, in Huairou, China. More than 12,000 people attended. Its purpose was to help craft the U.N. platform on women's rights.

Both Hockenhull and Christenson were active in the National Women's Caucus for Art (NWCA), which became an NGO of the United Nations, and involved with the 1995 NGO Forum. Hockenhull was the First Vice President of the NWCA, and was responsible for the organization's participation in the NGO Forum. Nearly 100 caucus members went to China, presenting 20 events.

Hockenhull and Christenson attended both the UN Fourth World Conference on Women and the 1995 NGO Forum on Women. A direct result of their work and experiences in China was the Chinese and U.S. Women Artists exchange project, "Reflections on Two Landscapes." American and Chinese artists participated in this exchange, which was held in two parts. The first part was held at Meyer's Point, WA, August 9 to 13, 1997, and the second part was held at several locations in China, June 15 to July 17, 1998 (Tianjin, Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, and Chengdu).

Source: Jo Hockenhull and Ann Christenson Papers, 1994-1998 (Cage 931) Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.