This anthology contains the original manifestos of 50 women artists/feminist groups/feminist protests. Introductory essay by Katy Deepwell, with notes on each manifesto. What is a manifesto? A political programme, a declaration, a definitive statement of belief. Neither institutional mission statement, nor religious dogma; neither a poem, nor a book. As a form of literature, manifestos occupy a specific place in the history of public discourse as a means to communicate radical ideas.

Distributed as often ephemeral documents, as leaflets or pamphlets in political campaigns or as announcements of the formation of new parties or new avant-gardes, manifestos above all declare what its authors are for and against, and ask people who read them to join them, to understand, to share these ideas. The feminist art manifestos in this anthology do all of these things as they explore the potential and possibilities of women's cultural production as visual artists.