HERESIES is an idea-oriented journal devoted to the examination of art and politics from a feminist perspective. We believe that what is commonly called art can have a political impact, and that in the making of art and of all cultural artifacts our identities as women play a distinct role. We hope that HERESIES will stimulate dialogue around radical political and aesthetic theory, encourage the writing of the history of femina sapiens, and generate new creative energies among women. It will be a place where diversity can be articulated. We are committed to the broadening of the definition and function of art.

HERESIES is structured as a collective of feminists, some of whom are also socialists, marxists, lesbian feminists or anarchists; our fields include painting, sculpture, writing, anthropology, literature, performance, art history, architecture and filmmaking. While the themes of the individual issues will be determined by the collective, each issue will have a different editorial staff made up of contributors as well as members of the collective. Each issue will take a different visual form, chosen by the group responsible. HERESIES will try to be accountable to and in touch with the international feminist community. An open evaluation meeting will be held after the appearance of each issue. Themes will be announced well in advance in order to collect material from many sources. (See inside of back cover for list of projected issues.) Possibly satellite pamphlets and broadsides will be produced continuing the discussion of each central theme.

As women, we are aware that historically the connections between our lives, our arts and our ideas have been suppressed. Once these connections are clarified they can function as a means to dissolve the alienation between artist and audience, and to understand the relationship between art and politics, work and workers. As a step toward a demystification of art, we reject the standard relationship of criticism to art within the present system, which has often become the relationship of advertiser to product. We will not advertise a new set of genius-products just because they are made by women. We are not committed to any particular style or aesthetic, nor to the competitive mentality that pervades the art world. Our view of feminism is one of process and change, and we feel that ir the process of this dialogue we can foster a change in the meaning of art.

THE COLLECTIVE: Ida Applebroog, Patsy Beckert, Joan Braderman, Mary Beth Edelson, Su Friedrich, Janet Froelich, Harmony Hammond, Sue Heinemann, Elizabeth Hess, Joyce Kozloff, Arlene Ladden, Lucy Lippard, Marty Pottenger, Miriam Schapiro, Amy Sillman, Joan Snyder, Elke Solomon, Pat Steir, May Stevens, Susana Torre, Elizabeth Weatherford, Sally Webster, Nina Yankowitz.

This issue of HERESIES was edited and produced by three groups which met separately and together for more than four months: a nine-woman editorial collective, which takes final responsibility for the magazine; an eight-woman adjunct group which worked on general ideas, research and specific articles; and a five-woman design/production group. Still other women helped with additional aspects, such as copyediting, proofreading and mechanicals, and the larger HERESIES Collective supported us all. Because of the number of women involved and the number of manuscripts received (more than twice as many as were submitted to our first issue), the process was complex. Editorial work was new to most of us, and we needed a lot of time to listen to each other, to reflect on our disparate experiences and viewpoints—and to develop an overview of the magazine, which finally affected our decisions almost as much as individual submissions. We worked collectively on each piece, arriving at a consensus only after much discussion. Sometimes we frustrated those authors and artists who had hoped to hear more from us sooner. As we worked, we found that we were indeed involved in a process of communication with all the women who wanted to participate in this issue, as well as with each other. If this process was at times confusing, it was also intensely satisfying.

As this issue went into production, Ree Morton, an artist whose friendship, work and commitment to feminism made her close to many ofus, died of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. We will miss her.

Editorial group: Patsy Beckert, Lizzie Borden, Janet Froelich, Denise Green, Sue Heinemann, Diane Levin, Lucy Lippard, Pat Steir, Elizabeth Weatherford.

And: Ida Applebroog, Karen Harris, Stephanie Brody Lederman, Karen Shaw, Theodora Skipitares, Amy Snider, Carla Tardi, Mimi Weisbord.

Design/production group: Barbara Coleman, Paula Greif, Suzanne Kuffler, Francesca de Majo.

Our thanks to those who helped get out this issue: Barbara Baracks, Marina Cappalletto, Nicole Croiset, Tony DeLuna, Debbie Dominguez, Birgit Flos, Maria Friedrich, Su Friedrich, Paula Harper, Laurie Leifer, Diana Long, Mary Lou Lopez, Melissa Meyer, Margot Norton, Lawrence Pitkethly, Bernie Rohret, Sarah Schuman, Amy Sillman, Jackie Wray, Nil Yalter, Ruth Young; our lawyer, Eleanor Fox; and our photographers, eeva- inkeri.