After over 40 years of influencing feminist film and performance, Susan Kleckner is finally gaining the institutional appreciation she long deserved. The exhibition ‘Raw Material: The Art and Life of Susan Kleckner’ at Haverford College’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery, open until April 5, 2026, marks the first extensive retrospective of this pioneering artist. Featuring nearly 100 works, many showcased for the first time, the exhibition aims to reestablish Kleckner’s role as a crucial figure in the histories of feminist, queer, and activist art.
From the 1970s onwards, Kleckner’s diverse body of work spanned film, photography, performance, collage, and installation, emphasizing art as a medium for political urgency and survival rather than a mere commodity. The exhibition’s title nods to an unfinished project from her later years, which chronicled her experiences with institutionalization and recovery. To Kleckner, ‘raw’ was not a preliminary stage but the essence of her work: unfiltered and alive.
Despite her significant contributions, Kleckner’s legacy was overshadowed by systemic biases and her struggles with mental and physical health. This retrospective is the result of extensive archival efforts at the Susan Kleckner Archives at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Notable pieces include her documentation of the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, materials from ‘Window Peace’ (1986), and groundbreaking feminist films such as ‘Three Lives’ (1971) and ‘Birth Film’ (1973).
The exhibition extends beyond Haverford’s vicinity, with a collaborative citywide initiative involving Lightbox Film Center and Public Trust. The program features film screenings, live musical accompaniment for ‘Desert Piece (Outtakes)’ (1980), and a contemporary reimagining of ‘Window Peace,’ blending historical and modern feminist expressions.
In today’s climate, where issues of reproductive rights and protest movements are once again at the forefront, ‘Raw Material’ emphasizes Kleckner’s foresight in linking art with political activism, championing visibility as a form of resistance. Discover more about the exhibition at exhibits.haverford.edu.
