Compton, Candace

Candace Compton Pappas (born 1951) is a painter, sculptor, performer and filmmaker who was active in Los Angeles feminist circles in the 1970s. Compton Pappas’ 1976 film Nun and Deviant, which she made with Nancy Angelo, is considered a canonical work of early feminist video. She also co-founded the Feminist Art Workers in 1976, along with Angelo, Cheri Gaulke, and Laurel Klick. The ground breaking performance Art group emerged from the Women’s Building in Los Angeles, and traveled the country addressing issues of economic rights, community, and violence against women. The group sought out non-art audiences by using tours, floats, and phone calls and presenting their work in unconventional venues such as cafeterias, conferences, buses and planes. Compton Pappas has a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA in community art from Goddard College. She currently works in Michigan.