Campus Invited to Art and Feminism Event Friday, March 13

Photo Submitted

Wikipedia's gender trouble is well documented. In a 2011 survey, the Wikimedia Foundation found that less than 10% of its contributors were women.

While the reasons for the gender gap are up for debate, the practical effect of this disparity is not: content is skewed by the lack of representation from women.     

All U of A students, faculty and staff are welcome to join the Northwest Arkansas Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon in the Sculpture Building (SCUL) Room 205 at the University of Arkansas from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, March 13 for a communal updating of Wikipedia entries on subjects related to gender, art and feminism followed by a reception from 3 to 5:30.

Registration is available online. The Libraries will provide tutorials for the beginner Wikipedian and reference materials. Lunch will be provided.

Bring your laptop and power cord, or use one of the computers provided, and your ideas for entries that need updating or creation. People of all gender identities and expressions are welcome to participate, particularly transgender and cisgender women.

Attendees are encouraged to create a Wikipedia account before the event. 

"Women artists are not a footnote to someone else's story," said Stefani Byrd, visiting assistant professor for the School of Art. "Representation is power. Let's give them the legacy they deserve." 

Inspired by the Wikipedia Edit-a Thon, Byrd and librarian-in-residence Marianne Williams have organized the exhibition #Intersections, on display March 9-13 in the Sculpture Building gallery. The show will explore themes of identity, representation and the cultural redistribution of power to previously excluded groups. 

This event is co-sponsored by the University Libraries, School of Art, Art+Feminism and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Gender Studies Program.