Friday 9 August 2013

kickstarter: Comics Undressed

A sincere documentary filmed in Chicago about economic, gender-based, and racial representation in the comics industry.
 
The Problem
Comics, heralded as a white heterosexual masculine medium, has in fact a diverse range of contributors, many of whom are women, non-white, and/or do not conform to the binary constructs of sexual or gender identity. However, such voices often go unrecognized or are demeaned in mainstream media. Moreover, the lack of equal economic opportunities for a wide range of creators stifles the output of our culturally diverse society, which in turn is reflected in negative or absent portrayals of women, queers, and people of color in the content of the medium itself.
 
The Film
The Ladydrawers documentary Comics Undressed is an ambitious project with the primary aim of addressing media justice in comics and popular culture. We intend to portray the underlying forms of discrimination that impact representations of women, queers, trans folk, non-binary gender people, and people of color. We seek to support a diversity of racial, gender, and sexual identities that make up our society as well as unveil the surprising economic injustices and cultural biases that occur. Our goal is to present a sincere heartfelt documentary that captures our love for comics while critiquing the structure of the comics industry. We intend to implement an experimental process to give form to our extensive original research that mirrors the comics themselves. Through a myriad of interviews with comics creators, readers, bloggers, vendors, fans, and the general public, we strive to foster a multiplicity of viewpoints in the comic-book world and our culture at large.

feminism in london exhibtion - info and call to be involved

Feminism in London
Conference Fundraiser Exhibition 26/10/2013
Feminism in London and Space Station Sixty-Five present an extraordinary fundraising event and exhibition celebrating women’s art. A diverse range of artists will be showcased, from prominent professionals, to women in prison, to women emerging from vulnerable backgrounds.
At: Space Station Sixty-Five (http://www.spacestationsixtyfive.com/)

 
FiLia A Feminism in London fundraising event

Artwork by women artists in support of this year’s Feminism in London conference Opening event and auction: 20 September, 6.30-8.30pm Recommended donation: £5
Exhibition: 21 Sept, 12-6pm

Feminism in London and Space Station Sixty-Five present an extraordinary fundraising event and exhibition celebrating art by women. A diverse range of artists will be showcased, from prominent professionals, to women in prison, to women emerging from vulnerable backgrounds. Painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and performance art will all be featured.

The event leads up to the Feminism in London conference, which will be held on 26 October. This year’s conference places a special emphasis on the arts and the Space Station Sixty-Five exhibit will be the latest in a series of art-related fundraisers, which have included the Vagina Monologues and the launch of Banners and Broad Arrows, a film about the suffragettes. Artwork by women will also be shown at the conference venue, the Institute of Education.

‘FiLia’ reflects the ideals of sisterhood and mutual support that Feminism in London promotes. It combines the concept of ‘philia’ – friendship among equals – with the notion of ‘filia’, meaning daughter, symbolising the continuity between today’s feminists and the waves of feminism that came before.

Attendees at the exhibit’s opening on 20 September will have the opportunity to support the conference and the artists by purchasing artworks at auction. Space Station Sixty-Five will be running a donations-only bar.
Further Information
Feminism in London
Last held in Friends Meeting House, London, on 23 October 2010, Feminism in London 2010 was the third large scale conference organised by the London Feminist Network. About 1,200 women and men came along, including seasoned campaigners and those new to feminism.
This year’s conference, to be held on 26 October at the Institute of Education, will be bigger and better than ever. Scheduled speakers include Gail Dines, Gita Saghal, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Ruth Barnes, and others. The conference will be followed by the Reclaim the Night march.
Website: http://www.feminisminlondon.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FIL2013
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Feminism-in-London-conference/161906123876922


Further info from my inbox about getting involved with showing work...

Melanie,

I hope you don't mind me getting in touch, Rachael House gave me your contact details.
With Rachael's generous suport we're putting on a fundraiser/exhibit for the Feminism in London conference at SS65. Given that you've brought women artists together for a previous exhibit,  we wondered if you would be interested in spreading the word about the exhibit to women artists who you think might want to participate. Naturally it would be great if you wanted to show any works yourself!
September is fast approaching so ideally we'd like to have confirmation from artists by 15 August that they are definitely submitting works, and submissions coming in during the first week of September. I realise it's all rather short notice but we've only just made arrangements regarding the venue in the last couple of weeks.
Many thanks!
Alisa (alisa.lockwood AT gmail DOT com)