Ann Leda Shapiro (born 1946) is an American artist.^[1] Ann Leda Shapiro was born and raised in New York City.^[2] and currently lives on small island Puget Sound, Washington. She attended the San Francisco Art Institute (BFA, 1969) and the University of California Davis (MFA, 1971).^[3] Shapiro's work was shown in a 1973 solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art.^[4] The Whitney censored two works by the artist; "Two Sides of Self (1971) -- depicts two hermaphrodites mermaids^[5] and Women Landing in the Moon or One Needs a Cock to Get By (1971). The work raised questions about what it means to be male and it means to be female, creating more expansive and inclusive definitions of feminism.

Ann Leda Shapiro taught art at San Francisco State College, University of Arizona, University of Colorado and University of Texas where she volunteered at an acupuncture clinic for people with AIDS. In 1991, Ann Leda became board-certified and established her professional acupuncturist practice, which remains a critical influence in her lifelong contemplation of the body and environment and how our inner and outer worlds interconnect. Shapiro is also the author of the book "My Island," published in 2009^[6] and "Art Notes of an Acupuncturist" published as a comic book as the style of a graphic novel.

Permanent Collections

Her work is included in the collections of the:

• Frye Art Museum
• Seattle Art Museum^[7]
• University of Colorado Boulder Art Museum.^[1]

References