Lesbian Artists Celebrated in Three New California Exhibitions 2026

Lesbian artists are finally receiving long-overdue recognition in three new California exhibitions, highlighting the work of Monica Majoli, Millie Wilson, and Susan Silton. These shows mark a significant shift in institutional visibility for artists who have spent decades working in relative isolation.

Monica Majoli: Countervision

In the late seventies, when LA-based artist Monica Majoli was 12, she began spending her afternoons at Sisterhood Bookstore, a feminist bookstore in Los Angeles that has long since closed. She would stay all afternoon “searching for my tribe,” she says. One day, she found a photograph of the Ovulars, a group of feminists who held photography workshops at a lesbian commune in rural Oregon between 1979 and 1983. Through photography, the Ovulars were documenting and self-fashioning a vision of lesbian life in real time.

They are at the center of Monica Majoli: Countervision, which brings her new drawings into the June L Mazer Lesbian Archives, presented by Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND), alongside material from Sisterhood and the Ovulars. Some of Majoli’s drawings sit in a five-drawer flat file for visitors to handle; others are embedded within the Mazer’s holdings.

The Museum of Lesbian Dreams

Alongside Majoli’s exhibition, The Museum of Lesbian Dreams offers the first retrospective of Millie Wilson’s four-decade project. Wilson, who has exhibited frequently but often in alternative spaces, now receives major institutional attention. Her work explores themes of identity, desire, and representation through installation, photography, and sculpture.

Diving into the Wreck: Susan Silton

Diving into the Wreck is Susan Silton’s first major survey, taking its name from a 1972 Adrienne Rich poem of the same name. Silton’s multidisciplinary practice spans photography, video, and performance, often examining language, gender, and power. This survey brings together works from the 1980s to the present, showcasing her enduring influence.

Comparison of Exhibitions

Key Takeaways

• Three major exhibitions in California are giving lesbian artists long-overdue institutional recognition.
• Monica Majoli’s Countervision integrates new drawings with archival material from the Ovulars and Sisterhood Bookstore.
• Millie Wilson’s The Museum of Lesbian Dreams is her first retrospective, covering four decades of work.
• Susan Silton’s Diving into the Wreck is her first major survey, inspired by Adrienne Rich’s poem.

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