Christina Schlesinger: Leaving East Coast for California to Become Herself

In an interview with Artribune, Christina Schlesinger, a founding member of the Guerrilla Girls, discusses her journey from the East Coast to California in the early 1970s, a move driven by her need to live openly as a lesbian and escape the shadow of her famous father, historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. She describes how California provided the distance and freedom to build her life and artistic voice. Schlesinger recounts her transformative encounter with Womanhouse, which led her to the Feminist Art Program at CalArts, where she met artists like Arlene Raven, Miriam Schapiro, and Faith Wilding. Simultaneously, she met Judy Baca at a lesbian bar in Venice Beach and began painting murals, eventually leaving CalArts to focus on public art and co-founding SPARC. Her work, including the Tomboys series and Dildo Paintings, explores identity, sexuality, and freedom from a lesbian perspective. She reflects on the initial shock caused by the Dildo Paintings in the early 1990s and notes that while the paintings remain unchanged, cultural attitudes have evolved. As a Guerrilla Girl, she used the name Romaine Brooks, an artist she admired for her independence. Schlesinger expresses concern for younger generations, feeling that progress has stalled. The interview was conducted by Antonino La Vela and published on Artribune on August 2026.