Greetings
We are exploring the possibility of making this Women and Water Rights Exhibit a worldwide traveling exhibition.
I spoke to a number of WCA members from the various chapters at both the spring WCA Conference in LA and the summer WCA Board meeting. Now we need to find out within the next 2 weeks how many are still interested in being a part of the Women and Water Rights Travel Exhibit. We just discovered a grant possibility, so we are writing a grant to help defer the travel/shipping costs and the grant deadline is in 3 weeks.
Also, WCA offers matching grants. Each Chapter will receive $100 when working on a joined event with another chapter.
Our juror Lucy Lippard will be requested to select 10 pieces from the Nash Exhibit for the travel exhibit, videos, several selected pieces from the global invited artists artworks and a documentary video of the exhibit. Each venue may show this smaller exhibit or widen the exhibit with their choice of events and artwork additions. But, only the original exhibit will be shipped in Post Office standard boxes from one venue to the next.
Women and Water Rights, Rivers of Regeneration” will explore a local and global problem through art exhibits and related programs beginning at the University of Minnesota Nash Gallery from February 23 to March 25, 2010. We are moving ahead with plans for the next stage to confirm those that will take part in this travel exhibit • The main sponsors are The University of Minnesota Department of Art, www.art.umn.edu <http://www.art.umn.edu> <http://www.art.umn.edu <http://www.art.umn.edu/> >, Women’s Caucus of Art, WCA, nationalwca.org, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, WILPF, www.wilpfmn.org <http://www.wilpfmn.org> <http://www.wilpfmn.org <http://www.wilpfmn.org/> >, U of MN, Office of International Programs, OIP, Global Spotlight, www.international.umn.edu/spotlight <http://www.international.umn.edu/spotlight> <http://www.international.umn.edu/spotlight <http://www.international.umn.edu/spotlight> >
Here is a very tentative schedule:
• ALL TENTATIVE DATES / Open to changes and more participants
•1) SF Helen Poole Newman helennewman@mac.com May/June 2010
2) LA Ann Isolde aisolde@roadrunner.com <mailto:aisolde@roadrunner.com> July/August 2010
3) Portland, Oregon Madeline Meza Janovec mmjanovec.com Sept./October2010
4) Missoula,Montana Rebecca Kramer Montana3826@msn.com <mailto:Montana3826@msn.com> Nov. / Dec 2010
5) NYC Linda Gilbert Schneider gilbertschneider@yahoo.com <mailto:gilbertschneider@yahoo.com> Jan. / Feb. / March 2011
6) Chicago Dale Osterle daleosterle@yahoo.com jmagrady [at] comcast.net April/ May 2011
7) Boston Karen Frostig karenfrostig@comcast.net <mailto:karenfrostig@comcast.net> June/ July 2011
St. Louis, MO Roxanne Phillips RoxieMP@aol.com <mailto:RoxieMP@aol.com> August /September/ 2011
9) MI Yueh-mei Cheng yueh-mei.cheng@finlandia.edu October/November 2011
10) MN Liz Dodson lizartist@me.com December /Jan. 2012
11) India Meena Mangalvedhekar meenanew@gmail.com
Open to other WCA Chapters and The Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom branches joining the Travel Exhibit.
Our current project “Women and Water Rights: River of Regeneration”, is an example of how a small group of volunteer activists can advocate for their cause by accessing the resources available in their community to create a broad program of interest to all. In our case, we are concerned about the growing water crisis and how this affects women and girls locally and globally. To foster public awareness of this issue and to probe connections between policies decided at international government levels and local community actions, we are preparing a five-week art exhibition combined with a wide array of accompanying related public events. This unique and exciting project will feature international and local women artists as well as internationally known speakers and local experts reflecting on the traditional, current and future relationship of women to water. Our exhibit and events will point out social, economic and environmental results caused by the exclusion of women in decisions taken to manage local and regional water resources. It will also emphasize how the arts both reflect and alter societal attitudes leading to cultural change. It is an exhibition of art and related programs that builds awareness, provokes action, and poses solutions for the need to understand water as an universal human right.
Please let us know that you are interested by September 25, 2009, in order to meet our grant deadline.
Thank you,
Liz Dodson, project coordinator questions.. lizartist@me.com <mailto:lizartist@me.com <mailto:lizartist@me.com> >
Some recent news about the Women and Water Rights, Rivers of Regeneration Exhibit Project: more details are on the website *womenandwater.net*
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*Women and Water Rights: Rivers of Regeneration*
*February 23 to March 25, 2010*
*Katherine E. Nash Gallery*
*University of Minnesota*
*Employing art to build awareness and effect change, the /Women and Water Rights: Rivers of Regeneration/** (WWR) project addresses the precarious state of the world’s fresh water supply and the global need for gender mainstreaming in water management. Through an art exhibition and related programs, WWR underscores the message that water access is a universal human right.*
*_Collaborators______________________________________________________________*
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*WILPF, MN Metro Chapter: *The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom is the oldest women’s peace organization in the world and for nearly a century has worked for disarmament and peaceful settlement through dialogue and diplomacy, believing that gender, social and environmental justice are attainable only through peace. The project concept originated with members of the chapter’s Art Committee, and evolved from their meetings with other women artists attending the Beijing Platform for Action / 1995 United Nations 4^th World Conference on Women. /Volunteer-based network; non-governmental organization (NGO) with consultative status at the United Nations/
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*WCA, MN Chapter: *The Women’s Caucus for Art was founded in 1972, with the goal of expanding opportunities and recognition for women in the arts professions. The WCA Lifetime Achievement Award is one of the highest national honors for artists and art historians. WCA Mission:The mission of the Women’s Caucus for Art is to create community through art, education, and social activism. We are committed to recognizing the contributions of women in the arts. providing women with leadership opportunities and professional development, expanding networking and exhibition opportunities for women, supporting local, national, and global art activism, advocating for equity in the arts for all. Volunteer-based network; non-governmental organization (NGO) affiliated with the United Nations Department of Public Information
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University of Minnesota: *Department of Art, University Women’s Center, Water Resource Center, the Institute on the Environment / River Life Program, and the Office of International Programs / Global Spotlight Program
*_Motivation________________________________________________________________ _*
*We are facing a global water crisis:* 18% of the world’s population lack access to safe drinking water, and 42% lack access to basic sanitation. More than 2.2 million people die each year from diseases associated with these conditions. As water scarcity grows, so will these numbers. By 2025, it is estimated that two thirds of the world’s population will live in areas facing moderate to severe water stress.*
**See _http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/factsheet.html_* <http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/factsheet.html_*>
*WWR calls attention to the United Nation’s International Decade for Action, the Water for Life! agenda, and the UN Millennium Development Goals, the achievement of which hinge on integrated management of water resources. A target of the MDG’s is to halve by 2015 those peoples without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. **
**See http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/pb_water_gender_upd.pdf* <http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/pb_water_gender_upd.pdf*>
*As women play a central role in water provision and management, women must be central in planning for the future. The primary focus of WWR is to point out the social, economic and environmental results caused by exclusion of women in decisions made regarding the management of local, regional, and global water resources. WWR also will emphasize how the arts both reflect and alter societal attitudes leading to cultural change.*
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*_Components*______________________________________________________________*
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*The WWR exhibit *includes work by national and international artists who are investigating water rights as subject and material in their work, using new technologies as well as traditional media. It features a juried exhibition of artwork from artists residing in the five states that form the basin of the Upper Mississippi, plus a mail art exhibit and video shorts exhibit, resulting from a worldwide call to artists using their art to educate on this subject. The postcard art by adults and students locally and globally will form an adjacent exhibit and be the subject of a blog on the project website, www.womenandwater.net <http://www.womenandwater.net> <http://www.womenandwater.net <http://www.womenandwater.net/> >.
*WWR Components continued:*
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*The Water Wall, *an interactive exhibit, focuses on individual women, who have founded organizations that work for water rights for women around the world and includes a /Connecting for Action/ space directing visitors to resources and volunteer opportunities. The theme,/ “as a single drop makes a wave, one woman makes a difference/” is a call to action.
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*Symposium: Global Policy – Local Action*, scheduled for March 4^th & 5^th will bring together experts to discuss their perceptions of accountable guardianship that will ensure water as a fundamental human right. Locally and globally, what is the connection between women and water? How might viable change to present practice be initiated? Invited participants represent various arenas, such as native, social, and historical practice, legislative mandates, agricultural practice, and industrial restrictions.
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*Eco - Education Day*, occurring March 3rd for Twin Cities school audiences, is a celebration through visual art, music, and poetry, of the ways that primary and secondary-school students have applied to artistic expression what they’ve learned about water science. The nonprofit organization Eco-Education, which develops curriculum on ecological issues for 17 school districts, is contributing to workshop events. Festivities include performance of choral compositions written by students in collaboration with composers at the Perpich Center for Arts Education and the Schubert Club. High school-aged choral students will perform the works at the Ted Mann Concert Hall. The concert also includes the U of M Women’s Chorus, and African drumming.
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*Teacher Workshop*, occurring in fall 2009, will help enable teachers to guide students in creation of art and poetry with natural and social science content; will share with teachers the ways to involve their students in Eco – Education Day; will encourage teachers to teach about water issues, by increasing awareness about existing water curricula; and will invite teachers to attend other events associated with WWR. The Workshop is sponsored by Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE).
*WWR DVD & CD *are planned to document the exhibit and provide a study guide. In addition to a public screening, the goal includes development of a distribution list of art institutions and schools.
*Traveling Exhibit *will extend the life of the project by moving to venues in other cities, notably nine in this country and India, which have pledged their interest.
*_Events*___________________________________________________________________*
*Other Events and Key Participants* are highlighted in the following:
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*Opening Day festivities, *hosted by the U of M Nash Gallery and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, include a water ceremony, performed by the Chalchiuhtlicue Dancers, and a performance by the Stirring the Waters Band, which plays rhythms on water bottles, jugs, drums and other percussion instruments and articles used by women to contain and transport water.
*Janika Vandervelde, *McKnight Foundation Composer Fellow is creating a water-themed composition to be performed by student musicians and dancers at the Ted Mann Concert Hall.* *
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*Videos screenings *about timely, water-related issues will be followed by discussion.**
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*The Ananya Dance Theatre* (formerly, /Women in Motion/) will perform original choreography based on water theme.
*Laura Caviani* and other musicians will perform original jazz pieces inspired by images displayed in the exhibit.
*Lucy Lippard*, noted art writer and critic, is the juror for the exhibit and a keynote speaker.
*Dr Deborah Swackhamer, *Co-Director of the Water Resources Center at the U of M is the symposium moderator.
*A 3-Day Action Event *will conclude WWR, and will feature speakers Sandy Spieler, founder of /Heart of the Beast/ /Puppet & Mask Theatre/ (March 23), Gemma Bulos, founder of /A Single Drop for Safe Water/ (March 24), and Dr Vandana Shiva, world water rights environmentalist (March 25).
* Contact ___________________________________________________________________*
*For current information on project components and roster of artists and key participants, contact WWR Project Coordinator Liz Dodson (P: 612-333-8150 / E: lizartist@me.com <mailto:lizartist@me.com <mailto:lizartist@me.com> >)*