Working under the name the Women’s Coalition for Change, in April 1993, nine women enrolled in an art history course at the University of Maryland, College Park undertook an art action that jolted the campus and attracted passionate dialogue and national news coverage in outlets including The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Times, USA Today, and Playboy. The art action, which involved elements of performance, installation, and postering, came to be known in the media as the “rapist list” because a component of the action involved the publication of every identifiably male name in the campus student directory on flyers underneath the headline “Notice: These Men Are Potential Rapists.”

On the 30th anniversary of this event, The Peale, B altimore’s community museum, will host a look back at the event, including a multimedia presentation and discussion with those involved in or touched by the action, including artists, scholars, and activists. Invited participants include art historian Dr. Kathy O’Dell; School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Professor Jefferson Pinder, then an undergraduate art student at the university; retired UMD Art History Professor Josephine Withers, scholar and educator Dr. Lisa Bernstein; and persons involved in the art action.

Revisiting the event one might ask: What exactly took place? What were the goals of the action and was it deemed to be successful? What impact did the action have on the young artists who collaborated on its creation, and on those who witnessed the event? How were the campus and surrounding community transformed by the action? How might this action from 30 years ago be understood in the current social and political context, and in relation to recent activism on gender issues and sexual violence?

In advance of the presentation and panel discussion scheduled for April 30, 1 - 3 p.m., archival material related to the action will be on display in the Moses Williams Center starting April 1.

The presentation/panel discussion is free and open to the public but reservations should be made through EventBrite on the Peale’s website (RSVP link). This event is made possible through support from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office/Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts.