Ferren Gipson

Writer, broadcaster and artist, London

In her book Women’s Work: From Feminine Arts to Feminist Art (2022), Ferren Gipson challenges the distinction in Western art history between applied art forms that have traditionally been seen as feminine practices, and the ‘high art’ of painting, drawing and sculpture. Gipson explored the topic further in ‘Within + Without’ at Unit London in 2023, an exhibition of work by female artists working with textiles and ceramics. An associate lecturer at the Courtauld Institute of Art who is currently researching a PhD at School of Oriental and African Studies about art in Mao-era China, Gipson also hosts the art podcast Art Matters, which considers the intersection of art and popular culture. Her new YouTube series, ‘Object’, explores the work of artist-makers working with heritage art forms. She writes for publications including the Financial Times and World of Interiors about topics including Black women ceramicists and accessibility in the art world, and has given talks at the Royal Academy, the Tate, Sotheby’s Institute of Art and for TEDx. Gipson puts her research interests into practice in her own art, making woven and quilted work inspired by Black American spiritual traditions.

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