Angela Washko

Angela Washko
Born1986 (age 37–38)
Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Known forNew Media Art Artist, Curator, Facilitator
Notable workPlaying A Girl, Chastity, The Game: The Game
Awards2012–2013 Recipient of the Terminal Award,
2013–2014 Recipient of the Franklin Furnace Archive Fund Grant,
2013 Full Tuition Research Fellowship, University of California, San Diego,
2018 Recipient of the Impact Award at Indiecade,
2020 Recipient of the Creative Capital Award, 2023 United States Artists Fellowship.

Angela Washko is an American new media artist and facilitator based in New York. After nine years as a professor of art at Carnegie Mellon University, she is currently the Catherine B. Heller Collegiate Professor of Art at University of Michigan.[1][2] Washko mobilizes communities and creates new forums for discussions of feminism where they do not exist.[3]

Washko is the founder of the Council on Gender Sensitivity and Behavioral Awareness in World of Warcraft to bring attention to and protest the sexist language from players in the game.[4] Washko has been creating performances inside the online video game World of Warcraft (WoW) since 2012 in which she initiates discussions about feminism within the gameplay.[5]

In 2015, Washko presented an ongoing project focused on noted pick-up artist Roosh V, called Banged.[6] The project was initially supported by a Rhizome at the New Museum Internet Art Microgrant.[7] Her video game project "The Game: The Game" premiered in 2018 in a solo exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York.[8] Johanna Fateman named "The Game: The Game" at Museum of the Moving Image as one of the top ten exhibitions of 2018 for Artforum.[9] Rhizome (organization) added "The Game: The Game" to their Net Art Anthology, a project aiming to preserve historically important works of net art.[10][11]

In 2021, Angela Washko moved into film-making by directing a documentary film called Workhorse Queen.[12] After premiering at Slamdance Film Festival and a long international film festival run, the film was released in June 2022 for television broadcast and streaming on Starz, and additionally became available for VOD on Amazon Prime, AppleTV, Roku, and Vudu.[13] Workhorse Queen is distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures. Washko was the recipient of the Best Documentary Feature award at American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland, and the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Buffalo International Film Festival.[14][15]

In 2020, Angela Washko was awarded the Creative Capital Award for her new video game project "Mother, Player."[16] In 2023, she received the United States Artists Fellowship in the Media category.[17]

  1. ^ "Angela Washko - School of Art | Carnegie Mellon University". School of Art | Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  2. ^ Crook, Phillip (June 5, 2024). "The School of Art Congratulates Professor Angela Washko on Her New Professorship at the University of Michigan". School of Art | Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "Visual Arts Department". UC San Diego. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  4. ^ Steinhauer, Jillian (January 21, 2013). "Finding Feminism in World of Warcraft". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  5. ^ Jansson, Mathias (February 11, 2013). "Interview: Angela Washko's gender playing in WoW". GameScenes. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Valentine, Ben (April 23, 2015). "What Happens When a Feminist Artist Interviews a Pickup Artist". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  7. ^ Modig, Kimmo (September 16, 2014). "Announcing the 5 Internet Art Microgrants Awardees". Rhizome. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  8. ^ "Angela Washko Plays The Game: The Game". Museum of the Moving Image.
  9. ^ Fateman, Johanna. "Top Ten of 2018". No. December 2018. Artforum. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "The Game: The Game". Rhizome Net Art Anthology. Rhizome at the New Museum. October 27, 2016.
  11. ^ "Retelling The History of Net Art From The 1980s to the 2010s". Rhizome Net Art Anthology. Rhizome at the New Museum.
  12. ^ Berger, Laura (February 12, 2021). "Angela Washko Shines a Spotlight on a RuPaul's Drag Race Alum in Slamdance Doc "Workhorse Queen"". Women in Hollywood. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  13. ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (April 14, 2022). "Breaking Glass Pictures to Release WORKHORSE QUEEN". Broadway World. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  14. ^ Vourlias, Christopher (September 5, 2022). "Poland's American Film Festival Unspools 13th Annual Showcase of Contemporary and Classic American Cinema". Variety. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  15. ^ "Workhorse Queen". Buffalo International Film Festival. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "2020 Creative Capital Award Recipients Announced". Artforum. January 15, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Aton, Francesca (January 24, 2023). "United States Artists Fellowships Awarded to Carolina Caycedo, Christine Sun Kim, Guadalup Maravilla, and More". ARTNews. Retrieved February 14, 2023.