The University of Winnipeg will be celebrating International Women’s Day 2019 all week long, with a series of events that celebrate women’s achievements, support women’s rights and advance gender equality. International Women’s Day has been observed internationally since 1911, starting with events in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland and evolving into a United Nations resolution to recognize March 8 as an annual International Women’s Day event. The day is recognized by Status of Women in Canada as a time for Canadians to celebrate the progress of women’s rights.
“International Women’s Day has a rich history and I would encourage everyone to learn more about its working-class, socialist roots,” said Dr. Roewan Crowe, UWinnipeg associate professor and department chair (Women’s and Gender Studies). “There is a great piece on Teen Vogue that I recommend to anyone wanting to learn the historical context of the day.”
At this time of year, Crowe always remember the young immigrant women workers who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911. In response to this travesty, working-class, socialist feminists united to establish International Women’s Day as a yearly event to the mark resistance and struggle of women workers.
“This year we are honouring the work of women and non-binary artists by creating spaces where we can celebrate their artistic contributions,” said Crowe. “These events give us an opportunity to gather, share experiences, and learn about the power of art in our communities.”
International Women’s Day events taking place throughout the week of March 4 to 9 at The University of Winnipeg include:
Join UWinnipeg’s Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies and Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art (MAWA) for a screening of animated shorts followed by a discussion with the artists.
From A to B: Animated Shorts is curated by Winnipeg illustrator and animator Matea Radic. This is her first time curating a film screening and she is looking forward to the opportunity to create a space for women to share their stories.
“To this day, women are highly underrepresented in film-making in Canada, and around the world,” said Radic. “All of the women in this film screening have something to say and we need to listen.”
The screening includes Teeth and Worms by Alison Davis, Construction by Alison James, Winnipeg to Saskatoon by Brenna George, I Like Girls by Diane Obomsawin, Peak Experience by Leslie Supnet and Full of Fire by Rhayne Vermette.
- When: Tuesday, March 5 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
- Where: UWinnipeg’s Eckhardt Gramatte Hall, located on the third floor of Centennial Hall
Join UWinnipeg’s Greenhouse Artlab for an open house with trans-disciplinary artist Helga Jakobson. Participants will discuss art making and honeybees as a way to consider the impact of human influence on our ecosystems and how we might forge new ways of being and relating to one another in our current ecological crisis.
It is a safe space to ask critical questions such as: How do we make space for listening, for communicating and fostering relationships during difficult times? What would it mean to revitalize pre-industrial traditions such as “telling the bee,” and to value our non-human familiars as co-beings, or even as teachers?
- When: Wednesday, March 6 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm
- Where: UWinnipeg’s Greenhouse Art Lab, located on the fifth floor of the library
Join UWinnipeg’s Greenhouse Artlab for Beebots and Bells, an afternoon of art-making, experimentation and community-building with trans-disciplinary artist Helga Jakobson. Participants will create bee nanobots and ceramic bells, which will be used to explore the sound produced for the honey bee’s waggle dance; a vibratory dance performed by a single bee as a way of non-verbally communicating important information and direction to their hive.
- When: Friday, March 8 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm
- Where: UWinnipeg’s Greenhouse Art Lab, located on the fifth floor of the library
Sarasvàti Productions will present their annual Cabaret of Monologues to celebrate International Women’s Week, featuring stories about embracing identity with pride and coming into one’s own. Monologues from playwrights across Canada, as well as performance pieces, will be featured in two public performances.
- When: Saturday, March 9 at 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm (ASL interpretation available at 8:00 pm performance)
- Where: UWinnipeg’s Asper Centre for Theatre and Film, 400 Colony Street
While these events highlight International Women’s Day, there are several learning opportunities year-round for students interested in Women’s and Gender Studies. As students learn about feminist movements to end sexism, exploitation, and related social oppressions, they gain the tools and knowledge to contribute to social change.
