Suzanne Lacy, Leslie Labowitz, Claudine King, and Kathy Kauffman (Las Vegas, 1978)

From Reverence to Rape to Respect related exploitation of women with violence in Las Vegas modeled after Three Weeks in May. With its high incidence of violent rape and its global image as the epitome of feminist objectification, Las Vegas was the perfect setting for a performance demonstrating the continuum between objectification of women and violence.

Two billboards, a media campaign in the local press, and a half-hour PBS documentary created a broad community exposure to the issues of the performance. Events were created to appeal to special audiences including showgirls. Leslie Labowitz designed a media event in front of a billboard by Las Vegas artist Deborah Feldman. The Feminist Art Workers created Traffic in Women, a bus tour/performance that brought fifty Los Angeles women to one of the weekend events. The Los Angeles City Council passed a notice of commendation delivered to the Las Vegas City Council. The event, sponsored by the Nevada Committee for Humanities, included a daylong conference that included Margo St. James, founder of COTYOTE prostitutes union. An art exhibition in the University gallery on the theme of violence included Nancy Buchanan’s performance “Deer Dear,” Suzanne Lacy’s “There are Voices in the Desert,” and an exploration of showgirls, “Proof Positive,” by Kathy Kauffman.