CWC Docs Film Series: “Acting Like Women” (2026)

Acting Like Women (2026) follows feminist artist Cheri Gaulke as she revisits the Woman’s Building, the foundational Los Angeles art space of the 1970s.

Through interviews, archival footage, and personal reflections, the documentary shows how a collective of artists transformed their bodies and voices into powerful tools for activism. The film builds an intimate narrative where art intersects with life, tracing Gaulke’s journey from her upbringing as the daughter of a Midwestern Lutheran minister, through the sexual revolution and her immersion in the feminist community, to her emergence as a performance artist, lesbian, educator, and mother of twins. Acting Like Women weaves together personal stories and visually powerful performances, giving insight into what this period meant and continues to mean for women and those struggling to define themselves today.

Writer-director Cheri Gaulke and writer-producer Anne Gauldin will join moderator Jenni Sorkin (History of Art and Architecture, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Acting Like Women. This event is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Bonnie Ora Sherk: Life Frames since 1970, which is on view at the UCSB AD&A Museum August 26 – November 29, 2026.