I was drawn to the comprehensiveness of the document that aimed to catalog activities aimed explicitly at the development of an alternative woman’s culture. I was blown away by the specificity within the pages. I was wishing for that kind of solidarity today and considering what that would like.

In addition to the "Survival Guide," your show includes text drawings that duplicate actual thank you letters written to Planned Parenthood. How did you find these letters?

I was introduced to Planned Parenthood Los Angeles through one of their board members, Jennifer Simchowicz. She believed strongly that the collaboration would be vital for both PPLA and myself. After a series of meetings and discussions, PPLA provided me with a selection of letters that were written to them in their offices and waiting rooms. I feel like this relationship has just begun.

A major criticism of early second-wave feminism was that it essentialized women’s experience primarily based on the issues of white, middle-class, heterosexual women. Your previous work strikes me as quintessentially “third wave” in that it integrates women’s issues within a larger constellation of environmental, social, and economic activism. What made you want to revisit 1970s feminism in this show?

Without second-wave feminism, you and I would not be having this conversation.  Those incredible activists from the 1970s are the elders of today’s movements.  

As a veteran art activist, what’s your opinion on the Occupy Museums initiative? 

I’m not involved with this movement so I can’t comment on it.  However, I support all artists organizing and using their art to serve the movement.

Despite innumerable museum shows of “feminist art,” a lot of young artists eschew the term for fear of being ghettoized. What is the future of feminist art?

The fear that you speak of is exactly the reason why we need feminism today. However, in my experience there are so many young artists who proudly participate in the feminist movement and address it as subject matter in their work. Until we have gender equality, until LGBT youth live without fear, until women have equal pay, until woman have control over their reproductive rights, until violence against women ends, it will be essential that we have a feminist movement and feminist art.

What's the last show that you saw?

“Now Dig This!” at the Hammer Museum. I was there all day and still feel like I need to go back; I spent an hour just watching Ulysses Jenkins videos.  Someone recently wrote about my work that it “straddles the uneasy threshold between art and activism.” Experiencing that show encouraged my belief that art has always been and will always be easily political.

What's the last show that surprised you? Why?

Charles Gaines at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles. I was particularly blown away with his amazing light box piece, “Skybox.” It was an important reminder that at the foundation of representation, every emotional trope represents somebody’s interests.

What's your favorite place to see art?

In an artist’s studio or work space.

Do you make a living off your art?

I’m still teaching.

What's the most indispensable item in your studio?

Pencils.

Where are you finding ideas for your work these days?

I do quite a bit of research as well as daily reading of progressive media. Because I am politically active, I get much of my source material from friends who are involved in different political or activist activities.

Do you collect anything? 

Since I was in my early 20s I’ve been collecting dishes from thrift stores and flee markets. I’m getting ready to purge some of them, as they are a storage problem. I have fantasies of always having big dinner parties. I like to feed people and have friends around me all the time. Also I collect political pins and protest signs.

What's the last artwork you purchased?

A year ago I bought a Mary Kelly compressed-lint piece.

What's the first artwork you ever sold?

I don’t remember.

What's the weirdest thing you ever saw happen in a museum or gallery? 

In a museum in San Francisco there was a giant (at least 10-foot-tall) Campari light box depicting the classic objectified naked young female hanging at the opening of a feminist exhibition because the alcohol company was sponsoring the show.

What's your art-world pet peeve?

Art booths as accepted exhibition spaces.

What's your favorite post-gallery watering hole or restaurant?

Charles Gaines’s and Roxana Landaverde’s house.

Do you have a gallery/museum-going routine?

No, I try to see as much as possible but I need to make it a routine. It is crucial for me to see as much art as possible.  

Know any good jokes?

No, but how about a great political slogan? I saw this sign at Occupy L.A.: "You must be asleep if you believe in the American Dream."

What's the last great book you read?

I don’t really have that drive to possess or collect artwork personally. I just want to be able to look at work of the caliber of Piper’s all the time so it will push me to demand more of myself as an artist. Her work is so inspirational to me.

What international art destination do you most want to visit?

I would love to visit “The Land,” by Rikrit Tiravanija and “Kamin Lerdchaiprasert,” a collaborative project in Chang Mai, Thailand.

What under-appreciated artist, gallery, or work do you think people should know about?

Nancy Buchanan, Susan Mogul, Senga Nengudi, Shizu Saldamando, Kira Lynn Harris, Dee Williams, and Dave McKenzie — just to name a few.

Who's your favorite living artist?

Rick Lowe.

What are your hobbies?

Not many as I’m a workaholic but I try to fit in yoga and gardening.