Featuring soap opera storylines mixed with topical social commentary, Alison Bechdel’s comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For” ran from 1983 to 2008, when its creator announced that she was putting the strip on hiatus.
As one of the earliest ongoing representations of lesbians in popular culture, it’s now been appropriated by artist Judith Abraham, whose current exhibit at Anchor House of Artists in Northampton, “Madwimmin Books,” features as its centerpiece a 2-foot-by-3-foot-by-4-foot diorama based on the setting and characters of Bechdel’s strip. The diorama is part of a larger interactive installation that includes a map of 1980s Northampton identifying feminist landmarks, a shared message board, video interviews with prominent members of the lesbian community and relics celebrating the LGBTQIA-pioneering history of Noho.
The exhibit runs through July 30. On Sun., July 17, Anchor House will host a public symposium on the history and future of the LGBTQIA movement and its meaning to American culture.
Hours at the gallery at 518 Pleasant St. are Sat., Tues., Wed., Thurs., 1-6 p.m. anchorhouseartists.org