Dyke Action Machine! or DAM! is a

public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

and

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

duo made up of painter and

graphic designer A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...

Carrie Moyer and

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs. Duties and types of photograp ...

Sue Schaffner. DAM! gained notoriety in the 1990s for using commercial photography styling with

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

imagery in public art.

History

Sue Schaffner and Carrie Moyer formed Dyke Action Machine! (DAM!) in 1991 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. They met when in 1990 working together in

Queer Nation Queer Nation is an LGBTQ activist organization founded in March 1990 in New York City, by HIV/AIDS Activism, activists from AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, ACT UP. The four founders were outraged at the escalation of Violence against LGBT peopl ...

, splitting from the group in 1991 because they saw a need for lesbian representation in particular. DAM!'s name was chosen to signal "that lesbians had their own particular set of oppressions and social conditions – separate from

gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual men, bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as ''gay'' and a number of gay men also identify as ''queer''. Historic terminology for gay men has included ''Sexual inversion (sexology), in ...

– that needed attending to." DAM! specifically targeted

lesbophobia Discrimination against lesbians, sometimes called lesbophobia, comprises various forms of prejudice and negativity towards lesbians as individuals, as couples, as a social group, or lesbianism in general. Based on the categories of sex, sexu ...

: the marginalization of lesbians not only in favor of heterosexuality but also within

LGBTQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...

circles, where Schaffner and Moyer saw the male homosexual as privileged. The duo created

radical feminist Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that calls for a radical re-ordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts, while recognizing that women's experiences are also affected by other ...

, putting images of lesbians into commercialized styles and settings. Between 1991 and 2005, DAM! worked from January to June to create pieces for Pride Week. Together with groups like Guerilla Girls and Toxic Titties, DAM! resisted

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

and

consumerism Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...

. DAM! has been described as intentionally pluralistic, embracing many identities and issues. With Schaffner's experience as a commercial photographer and Moyer's work as a designer and painter, the duo captured and created images reminiscent of

commercial advertising A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

but delivered messages that raised the profile of lesbians. Much of DAM!'s work were spoofs on popular advertisements using models that were easily-identifiable as lesbians as the main subject in their reverse marketing strategy. DAM! created posters, postcards, matchbooks, and a website displaying their work. This material was then placed where ads were typically seen, such as

bus stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...

telephone booth A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; typically the user steps into the booth and closes the boot ...

s, and construction site barricades. Giving out the artwork for free was important to DAM!'s message because, as Schaffner described, "lesbians don't have that much stuff that's specifically for them." DAM!'s method of presenting lesbian activist art in typically commercial landscapes creates an effect described by some as

agitprop Agitprop (; from , portmanteau of ''agitatsiya'', "agitation" and ''propaganda'', "propaganda") refers to an intentional, vigorous promulgation of ideas. The term originated in the Soviet Union where it referred to popular media, such as literatu ...

. Schaffner and Moyer remained anonymous for eight years, only signing their work as Dyke Action Machine! Among their influences for their work were

Gran Fury Emerging from ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in 1988, Gran Fury was an AIDS activist artist collective from New York City consisting of 11 members including: Richard Elovich, Avram Finkelstein, Amy Heard, Tom Kalin, John Lindell, Lor ...

Barbara Kruger Barbara Kruger (born January 26, 1945) is an American conceptual artist and collagist associated with the Pictures Generation. She is most known for her visual word art that consists of black-and-white photographs, overlaid with declarative ca ...

, and Fran Winant. The duo is mainly active in the New York City area, although their work has been shown internationally and they make some available to be downloaded and distributed by anyone. The work of Dyke Action Machine! is held at the

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum at the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 Smithsonian Institution museums and one of three Smithsonian facili ...

. It has been included in anthologies and encyclopedias of

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

and lesbian art, where their work has been discussed alongside LGBTQ artist-activists Chloe Atkins, Kay Shumack, Marion Moore,

Jill Posener Jill Posener (born 1953) is a British photographer and playwright, known for her exploration of lesbian identity and erotica. Early life and education Posener was born in Greenwich, London, in the United Kingdom. She was educated as a st ...

, and the Australian Word of Mouth Collective. In 2000, Schaffner and Moyer won a Creative Capital award for visual arts to create
Gynadome: A Separate Paradise
'.

Work

The GAP campaign (1991)

DAM!'s first poster project, released in June of 1991, was intended to expose the lack of lesbian representation in American popular culture. These politicized posters were intended to be read as advertisements fitting seamlessly into a commercialized streetscape. The project consisted of 500 posters placed all over New York City, including on mass transit busses and payphone kiosks, to highlight the idea that for one to "exist" or be visible in mainstream media, one must belong to a recognizable

demographic Demography () is the statistics, statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration. Demographic analy ...

. The campaign replaced the photos of mostly-unknown celebrities featured in the GAP ads with pictures of visibly queer lesbians. The GAP Campaign critiques lesbian invisibility as well as tackling the psychology of advertising.

Do You Love the Dyke in Your Life? (1993)

In their 1993 poster series, "Do You Love the Dyke in Your Life?", DAM! mimicked

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...

's underwear campaign by featuring lesbians in place of

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...

. This work was a play on the idealized, muscular male body being replaced by "identifiable lesbians."

Gynadome (2001)

Gynadome is a work of cyberfeminist separatism where DAM! imagines a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by supernatural lesbians. Created in 2001, Gynadome was inspired by "

sexploitation A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, Low-budget film, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition o ...

and action flics" of the 1970s but through a lesbian perspective.

Exhibitions

* 1993: ''SILENCE=DEATH'' Munchner Stadtmuseum, Munich and Hygiene-Museum,

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, Germany * 1993: ''Kunst und AIDS'' International AIDS Conference,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany * 1994: Amendments

Hallwalls Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center (aka Hallwalls) is a non-profit art organization located in Buffalo, New York. Since 1974, Hallwalls has shown and shows the work of contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds who work in film, video, literatu ...

, Buffalo, New York * 1994: ''Becoming Visible: The Legacy of Stonewall''

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, New York * 1995: ''In a Different Light'' University Art Museum,

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

, California * 1995: ''You Are Missing Plenty if You Don't Buy Here: Images of Consumerism in American Photography''

Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, commonly known as the Loeb, is a teaching museum, major art repository, and exhibition space on the campus of Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It was founded in 1864 as the Vassar Colleg ...

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Town of Poughkeepsie, New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson River Valley region, midway between the core of the New ...

, New York * 1995: ''Copy-Art'' Oldenburg University,

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places * Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony * Ol ...

, Germany * 1996: ''Mixing Messages: Graphic Design in Contemporary Culture''

, catalog,

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York * 1996: ''Gender, Fucked''

Center on Contemporary Art The Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) is a non-profit arts organization located in Seattle, Seattle, Washington. CoCA was founded in 1980 by a group of artists, art patrons, and arts activists. Since its inaugural exhibition (James Turrell's "Fou ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington * 1996: ''Portraiture''

White Columns White Columns is New York City's oldest alternative non-profit art space. White Columns is known as a showcase for up-and-coming artists, and is primarily devoted to emerging artists who are not affiliated with galleries. All work submitted i ...

, New York, New York * 1996: ''Counterculture: Alternative Information from the Underground Press to the Internet'' Exit Art/The First World, New York, New York * 1997: ''Vraiment: Féminisme et Art''

Le Magasin Founded in 1986, Le Magasin – Centre National d'Art Contemporain is housed in an industrial hall, built for the 1900 Paris World's Fair by the workshops of Gustave Eiffel. Manufacturers Bouchayer and Viallet, working in the area of hydroelect ...

-Centre National D'Art Contemporain de Grenoble, catalog, France * 1997: ''Revolution Girl-Style'' Messepalast /Museumquartier, catalog,

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria * 1997: ''Patriotism'
The Lab

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California * 1999: ''Gender Trouble (Unbehagen der Geschlechter)'' Neuer Aachener Kunstverein,

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

, Germany * 2000: ''The Biggest Games in Town'
Künstlerwerkstatt Lothringer Strasse

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Germany * 2000: ''The Color of Friendship'
Shedhalle

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, Switzerland * 2002: ''Straight to Hell: 10 Years of Dyke Action Machine!''

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a multi-disciplinary Contemporary art, contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that cel ...

, California; Diverseworks,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas * 2002: ''Queer Commodity''

Mount Saint Vincent University Mount Saint Vincent University, often referred to as the Mount, is a public, primarily undergraduate, university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and was established in 1873. Mount Saint Vincent offers undergraduate Arts, Science, Edu ...

Art Gallery, Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

* 2003: ''Ameri©an Dre@m: A Survey'
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts
New York, New York * 2003: ''Illegal Art: Freedom of Expression in the Corporate Age''

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

303 Gallery 303 Gallery is an art gallery in Manhattan, New York. It was established in 1984 by owner and director Lisa Spellman, described by art critic Jerry Saltz as "one of the greatest New York gallerists of our time". The gallery hosts contemporary wor ...

, New York, New York;

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern art, modern and contemporary art museum and nonprofit organization located in San Francisco, California. SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art ...

(SFMOMA) Artist Gallery, San Francisco, California * 2004: ''Republican Like Me'' Parlour Projects, Brooklyn, New York * 2005: ''Twofold: Collaborations on Campus'' Richard L. Nelson Gallery and Fine Arts Collection,

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

, Davis, California * 2006: ''When Artists Say We''

Artists Space Artists Space is a non-profit art gallery and arts organization first established at 155 Wooster Street in SoHo, Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1972 by Irving Sandler and Trudie Grace and funded by the New York State Council on the Arts ...

, New York, New York * 2008: ''Reclaiming the "F" Word: Posters on International Feminisms''

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

, Northridge, California * 2008: ''Break the rules!'' Mannheimer Kunstverein,

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

, Germany

References

External links

Dyke Action Machine! website

Tang Skidmore Museum Collection of Dyke Action Machine!

Dyke Action Machine! INCORPORATED 2008 Stewardship Report

1998 Dyke Action Machine Interview N3TV
{{Authority control 1991 establishments in New York City Feminist artists Lesbian feminism Lesbian culture in New York (state) LGBTQ art in the United States American LGBTQ artists Women in arts occupations