The start of gender discrimination cannot be pinpointed, but the unequal application of resources and opportunities between men and women seemingly has permeated human society from the time the sexes were defined. Women were considered the weaker of the two sexes, and it was once widely thought that women were less capable than men of producing intelligent-let alone brilliant-works of art. Even when women were sparingly admitted to arts fellowships, the idea of the “woman artist” was somewhat oxymoronic. Women were presumed to be better in domestic arts, and studio arts were deemed the realm of men.

A studio is an artist's workroom. An atelier (French for “studio”) today refers to a collective in which artists learn and improve under the guidance of a teacher ...