Conversations Among Women
Hockaday Museum in Kalispell, MT
Conversations Among Women is an adjunction to the Ancestresses & Wise women project. I hold the circles of conversations within the larger circle of the Ancestresses & Wise Women sculptures - the larger-than-life symbols of women who have mentored me creating the space within which we can share our stories. Conversations are adapted to individual community wishes.
Framework
My purpose in these conversations is to bring women of various ages and backgrounds together, for each to share their perspectives and what has worked for them, to make connections, to increase our collective wisdom and to enjoy the art of conversation in a positive, supportive environment.
In his article, Conversations Pieces: The Role of Dialogue in Socially-Engaged Art, Grant Kestor reminds us of some basic skills and assumptions which facilitate successful conversation. He references Jürgen Habermas' Model of Subjectivity and Mary Field Belenky's Women's Way of Knowing:
-The opportunity to express and the need to listen are equally important. Each particpant is encouraged to be mindful of leaving room for and encouraging others to speak.
-Every participant is allowed to take part in the discourse, question an assertion, introduce an assertion and/or express attitudes, desires and needs.
-Every participant is encouraged to recognize the social embeddedness and context within which others speak, judge and act, the speaker's history, and social/political/cultural power positions and tries to see beyond this. In other words, everyone comes to a conversation with personal baggage and issues which may color the way he or she expresses his or her thoughts, but we all agree to make an effort to see the message behind the words.
-Each participant tries to let go of any goal of advancing an agenda of already formed opinions and judgments (both personal and career based) and, instead, leaves room to identify with and listen to other participants.
-These conversations do not have a specific outcome goal, but empathic insight between particpants may occur and new ideas may be generated.
In his article, Conversations Pieces: The Role of Dialogue in Socially-Engaged Art, Grant Kestor reminds us of some basic skills and assumptions which facilitate successful conversation. He references Jürgen Habermas' Model of Subjectivity and Mary Field Belenky's Women's Way of Knowing:
-The opportunity to express and the need to listen are equally important. Each particpant is encouraged to be mindful of leaving room for and encouraging others to speak.
-Every participant is allowed to take part in the discourse, question an assertion, introduce an assertion and/or express attitudes, desires and needs.
-Every participant is encouraged to recognize the social embeddedness and context within which others speak, judge and act, the speaker's history, and social/political/cultural power positions and tries to see beyond this. In other words, everyone comes to a conversation with personal baggage and issues which may color the way he or she expresses his or her thoughts, but we all agree to make an effort to see the message behind the words.
-Each participant tries to let go of any goal of advancing an agenda of already formed opinions and judgments (both personal and career based) and, instead, leaves room to identify with and listen to other participants.
-These conversations do not have a specific outcome goal, but empathic insight between particpants may occur and new ideas may be generated.
Responses to Conversations Among Women
As a young woman, I often feel confused about my place in the world. Having access to a community of women, many of them older than me, who could provide insight and feedback to my thoughts and questions proved invaluable. The Conversations gave me the sense that where I am on my life path is exactly where I need to be, passing through familiar rites of passage many women have traveled through before. - Jessia Wade
I really was surprised at how it flowed and the energy of all the women there. I especially loved the younger women's input! I also enjoyed the awakening of my own understanding of how we all experience from our own place, experience, values & story. It truly was lovely. For me, Conversations was an evening of connecting the dots. We wove one another's viewpoints and stories into a beautiful tapestry that night. I came away feeling rich and appreciative of the connection to the women's spirits! - Kris Carpenter
I loved that our circle was energetically surrounded by [the sculptural representation] of the wisdom of women like Jean Shinoda Bolen, Anais Nin, Judy Chicago, et al. Awesome! -Omi Preheim
I did not know what to expect. I felt fully engaged and I am not the kind of individual who is drawn to group revelation. - Shari Nault
It was a heart-warming and moving experience for me and for my daughters. They did not know what to expect and were hesitant at first, but then they opened up, and when they did they were so affirmed by the older women, who seemed to really want to hear what life was like for twenty-somethings. - Patricia Vettel-Becker
Ordinary women sharing extraordinary wisdom. That seems to happen whenever women come together to share their hearts...The more we can come together, the stronger all of us can be. - Glenda Martin
As a young woman, I often feel confused about my place in the world. Having access to a community of women, many of them older than me, who could provide insight and feedback to my thoughts and questions proved invaluable. The Conversations gave me the sense that where I am on my life path is exactly where I need to be, passing through familiar rites of passage many women have traveled through before. - Jessia Wade
I really was surprised at how it flowed and the energy of all the women there. I especially loved the younger women's input! I also enjoyed the awakening of my own understanding of how we all experience from our own place, experience, values & story. It truly was lovely. For me, Conversations was an evening of connecting the dots. We wove one another's viewpoints and stories into a beautiful tapestry that night. I came away feeling rich and appreciative of the connection to the women's spirits! - Kris Carpenter
I loved that our circle was energetically surrounded by [the sculptural representation] of the wisdom of women like Jean Shinoda Bolen, Anais Nin, Judy Chicago, et al. Awesome! -Omi Preheim
I did not know what to expect. I felt fully engaged and I am not the kind of individual who is drawn to group revelation. - Shari Nault
It was a heart-warming and moving experience for me and for my daughters. They did not know what to expect and were hesitant at first, but then they opened up, and when they did they were so affirmed by the older women, who seemed to really want to hear what life was like for twenty-somethings. - Patricia Vettel-Becker
Ordinary women sharing extraordinary wisdom. That seems to happen whenever women come together to share their hearts...The more we can come together, the stronger all of us can be. - Glenda Martin
The Conversations as they occurred in Billings, Montana spring and summer of 2008.
Session 1: WOMEN AND COMMUNICATION
Tuesday, April 22nd, 5:30 p.m.
Toucan Gallery, 2505 Montana Avenue, Billings, Montana
Participants include: Patricia Vettel-Becker, Professor of Art History, MSU-B, Allyn Calton, Marketing Manager/Editor, Magic City Magazine, Billings Gazette Communications; Kris Carpenter, owner, Sanctuary Spa & Salon; Stella Fong, writer & culinary educator; Tami Haaland, Assistant Professor of English, MSU-B, poet; Michelle Hippler, marketing & sustainability consultant, writer; Lisa Kemmerer, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, MSU-B; Shari Nault, Member Investor Relations & Public Relations, Big Sky Economic Development Corporation; Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist; Sharon Peterson, Associate Director, Leadership Montana, Executive Director, Montana BioScience Alliance, Former State Director, U.S. Senator Max Baucus,
Consider:
How do your communication style, skills and the way you express your thoughts and opinions as a woman contribute to the success or challenge of one-on-one conversations, networking, problem-solving, brainstorming, group projects, conversations with older and younger women, older and younger men, women and men of difference cultures and backgrounds?
As stated in the Winter issue of Ms. magazine, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Lvini has "argued that women offer traits needed to resolve such conflict [as in the Arab-Israeli conflict]: the ability to explore common interests versus viewing conflict as a zero-sum game, the capacity to multitask as opposed to narrowly focusing on one strategy, and the tendency to show increased empathy for others' suffering...The problem is that the perception of women and of the above-mentioned characteristics of dialogue is one of weakness"
According to feminist and language scholar Cheris Kramarae, there are "qualities that tend to characterize the world created by women to reflect their perspectives and ways of interacting." These are: interconnection (not only among themselves but with all forms of life), safety (a place where difficult questions can be asked, where uncomfortable issues can be discussed, and where 'critical self-analysis' can occur), holism (includes attention to dimensions of women's live such as spirituality, play, the nourishing of hearts, mind and bodies and social justice), trust (participants trust one another with their ideas, feelings, dreams, and material possession), mutuality (relationsihps among individuals are democratic, equal and reciprocal), adaptability and equal access to information.
__________________________________________________________________
Session 2: ETHICS OF CARE
Tuesday, May 6th, 5:30 p.m.
The Shed Exhibition Space at Level 504
(directions above)
504 North 20th Street
Patricipants include: Kris Carpenter, owner, Sanctuary Spa & Salon; Sister Mary V. Maronick, AIDSpirit Montana; Sherry S. Matteucci, Matteucci Law Firm & former U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana; Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist, Sharon Peterson, Associate Director, Leadership Montana, Executive Director, Montana BioScience Alliance, Former State Director, U.S. Senator Max Baucus,; Patricia Vettel-Becker, Professor of Art History, MSU-B
Do you think values such as care, trust, benevolence and interdependence should be considered in ethical discussions? Should they have equal value with more masculine considerations of reason, independence, and the need for aggression? In your life, do you see support for exhibiting a morality based on care or do you feel you have to sublimate these more feminine values?
Caveat: Not all women are empathic and not all men focused on the abstract.
Feminist critic Sandra Lee Bartky contends that women lose touch with their emotional base and their moral integrity when in service-oriented occupations or when continually caring for others is not a choice.
On the other hand, maternal thinkers like Sara Ruddick believe that qualities such as preserving (life), fostering (children's growth) and training (children to become committed and concerned citizens) result in an "attentive love" which allows women (and men who nurture) to see the difference between such things as abstract war (about power) and concrete war (the killing of sons and daughters) or bottom-line manufacturing and environmental impact.
Virginia Held believes that mothering persons (men as well as women) must balance maternal ethics with more traditional ethics - fairness and compassion, rationality as well as emotionality, the ability to make generalizations as well as recognizing uniqueness.
Eva Feder Kittay wants public policy to recognize the importance of "dependency workers" (those who care for and/or are responsible for those less able, be they children, elderly or the sick) by taking care of them, providing more support for these important members of society.
____________________________________________________________________
Session 3: WOMEN & ACTIVISM
Tuesday, May 20th, 5:30 p.m.
The Shed at Level 504
(directions above)
Participants include: Cindy Butler, president, Rimrock Opera, former Community Member of the Billings Gazette Editorial Board & retired Registered Nurse; Jean Lemire Dahlman, National Committeewoman since 2000, past Humanities Montana chair; Lisa Kemmerer, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, MSU-B; Sherry Matteucci, Matteucci Law Firm & former U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana; Margaret McDonald, Democratic candidate for Montana HD 54, Sarah Nigh; Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist, Sharon Peterson, Associate Director, Leadership Montana, Executive Director, Montana BioScience Alliance, Former State Director, U.S. Senator Max Baucus; Patricia Vettel-Becker, Professor of Art History, MSU-B;
What has motivated you to take stands on issues? What methods have you found successful in making a difference? Are there specific skills that women need to develop or inherently have to be heard? Do you feel supported for speaking out or do you feel alienated and/or denigrated? How do you deal with "bullies" who try to silence you?
Bishop Desmond Tutu: "Our earth home and all forms of life in it are at grave risk. We men have had our turn and made a proper mess of things. We need women to save us."
Nita Yawanarajah, a political affairs officer at the United Nations, believes that charm (the ability to make other people feel good about themselves) and empathy are just as important as the skills of networking, analysis, patience and a commitment to continued learning when working with oppositional groups.
____________________________________________________________________
Session 4: DIVERSITY OF FEMINISMS
Tuesday, June 3rd, 5:30 p.m.
The Shed at Level 504
(directions above)
Participants include: Vicki Coffman, Theater Professor Emeritus, MSU-B; Joy Honea, Assistant Professor of Sociology, MSU-B, Carolyn Ostby, United States Magistrate Judge; Sherry Matteucci, Matteucci Law Firm & former U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana; Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist, Sharon Peterson, Associate Director, Leadership Montana, Executive Director, Montana BioScience Alliance, Former State Director, U.S. Senator Max Baucus,
It is obvious to us now that not all women are alike. There is no universal voice. The diversity of the female experience can be seen in different ages, different religions, different cultures, different languages and different ways of expressing ourselves in art, literature, and movement. What do you find unique about your life as a woman? How do you relate to women who are different than you? What can we learn from others' beliefs, practices? Can we break down stereotypes within us? What do we have in common? What is your definition of feminism?
____________________________________________________________________
Session 5: CORRECTING WOMEN'S HISTORY
Tuesday, June 17th, 5:30 p.m.
The Shed at Level 504
(directions above)
Participants include: Val Jeffries; Danell Jones, writer, Virginia Woolf scholar and author of Virginia Woolf Writer's Workshop: Seven Lesson to Inspire Great Writing; Sherry Matteucci, Matteucci Law Firm & former U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist,
Were you adequately taught about women's contributions to the world? Have you ever stood up to correct a historical misperception about women? How do historical perceptions - right or wrong - color the present world for women? Do you feel knowledge of women's history assists you in navigating the world?
In the 1970s, Judy Chicago, among others, launched an effort to reinstate women into history books, especially ones of art history. This effort continues today. For example, The Women's Media Center was founded in 2004 by Gloria Steinem and others to "assure that women and women's experiences are reflected in the media just as women are present everywhere in the world; that women are represented as local, national and global sources for and subjects of the media..."
Feminist rhetorical theorist Barbara Biesecker, " While we may have managed to insert women into the canon (and, again, this is no small thing), we…have not yet begun to challenge the underlying logic of canon formation and the uses to which ti has been put that have written the rhetorical contributions of collective women into oblivion."
Virginia Woolf: "Indeed, if woman had no existence save in the fiction written by men, one would imagine her a person of the utmost importance; very various; heroic and mean; splendid and sordid; infinitely beautiful and hideous in the extreme; as great as a man, some think even greater. But this is woman in fiction. In fact, as Professor Trevelyan points out, she was locked up, beaten and flung about the room. A very queer, composite being thus emerges. Imaginatively she is of the highest importance; practically she is completely insignificant. She pervades poetry from cover to cover; she is all but absent from history.
Session 1: WOMEN AND COMMUNICATION
Tuesday, April 22nd, 5:30 p.m.
Toucan Gallery, 2505 Montana Avenue, Billings, Montana
Participants include: Patricia Vettel-Becker, Professor of Art History, MSU-B, Allyn Calton, Marketing Manager/Editor, Magic City Magazine, Billings Gazette Communications; Kris Carpenter, owner, Sanctuary Spa & Salon; Stella Fong, writer & culinary educator; Tami Haaland, Assistant Professor of English, MSU-B, poet; Michelle Hippler, marketing & sustainability consultant, writer; Lisa Kemmerer, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, MSU-B; Shari Nault, Member Investor Relations & Public Relations, Big Sky Economic Development Corporation; Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist; Sharon Peterson, Associate Director, Leadership Montana, Executive Director, Montana BioScience Alliance, Former State Director, U.S. Senator Max Baucus,
Consider:
How do your communication style, skills and the way you express your thoughts and opinions as a woman contribute to the success or challenge of one-on-one conversations, networking, problem-solving, brainstorming, group projects, conversations with older and younger women, older and younger men, women and men of difference cultures and backgrounds?
As stated in the Winter issue of Ms. magazine, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Lvini has "argued that women offer traits needed to resolve such conflict [as in the Arab-Israeli conflict]: the ability to explore common interests versus viewing conflict as a zero-sum game, the capacity to multitask as opposed to narrowly focusing on one strategy, and the tendency to show increased empathy for others' suffering...The problem is that the perception of women and of the above-mentioned characteristics of dialogue is one of weakness"
According to feminist and language scholar Cheris Kramarae, there are "qualities that tend to characterize the world created by women to reflect their perspectives and ways of interacting." These are: interconnection (not only among themselves but with all forms of life), safety (a place where difficult questions can be asked, where uncomfortable issues can be discussed, and where 'critical self-analysis' can occur), holism (includes attention to dimensions of women's live such as spirituality, play, the nourishing of hearts, mind and bodies and social justice), trust (participants trust one another with their ideas, feelings, dreams, and material possession), mutuality (relationsihps among individuals are democratic, equal and reciprocal), adaptability and equal access to information.
__________________________________________________________________
Session 2: ETHICS OF CARE
Tuesday, May 6th, 5:30 p.m.
The Shed Exhibition Space at Level 504
(directions above)
504 North 20th Street
Patricipants include: Kris Carpenter, owner, Sanctuary Spa & Salon; Sister Mary V. Maronick, AIDSpirit Montana; Sherry S. Matteucci, Matteucci Law Firm & former U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana; Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist, Sharon Peterson, Associate Director, Leadership Montana, Executive Director, Montana BioScience Alliance, Former State Director, U.S. Senator Max Baucus,; Patricia Vettel-Becker, Professor of Art History, MSU-B
Do you think values such as care, trust, benevolence and interdependence should be considered in ethical discussions? Should they have equal value with more masculine considerations of reason, independence, and the need for aggression? In your life, do you see support for exhibiting a morality based on care or do you feel you have to sublimate these more feminine values?
Caveat: Not all women are empathic and not all men focused on the abstract.
Feminist critic Sandra Lee Bartky contends that women lose touch with their emotional base and their moral integrity when in service-oriented occupations or when continually caring for others is not a choice.
On the other hand, maternal thinkers like Sara Ruddick believe that qualities such as preserving (life), fostering (children's growth) and training (children to become committed and concerned citizens) result in an "attentive love" which allows women (and men who nurture) to see the difference between such things as abstract war (about power) and concrete war (the killing of sons and daughters) or bottom-line manufacturing and environmental impact.
Virginia Held believes that mothering persons (men as well as women) must balance maternal ethics with more traditional ethics - fairness and compassion, rationality as well as emotionality, the ability to make generalizations as well as recognizing uniqueness.
Eva Feder Kittay wants public policy to recognize the importance of "dependency workers" (those who care for and/or are responsible for those less able, be they children, elderly or the sick) by taking care of them, providing more support for these important members of society.
____________________________________________________________________
Session 3: WOMEN & ACTIVISM
Tuesday, May 20th, 5:30 p.m.
The Shed at Level 504
(directions above)
Participants include: Cindy Butler, president, Rimrock Opera, former Community Member of the Billings Gazette Editorial Board & retired Registered Nurse; Jean Lemire Dahlman, National Committeewoman since 2000, past Humanities Montana chair; Lisa Kemmerer, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, MSU-B; Sherry Matteucci, Matteucci Law Firm & former U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana; Margaret McDonald, Democratic candidate for Montana HD 54, Sarah Nigh; Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist, Sharon Peterson, Associate Director, Leadership Montana, Executive Director, Montana BioScience Alliance, Former State Director, U.S. Senator Max Baucus; Patricia Vettel-Becker, Professor of Art History, MSU-B;
What has motivated you to take stands on issues? What methods have you found successful in making a difference? Are there specific skills that women need to develop or inherently have to be heard? Do you feel supported for speaking out or do you feel alienated and/or denigrated? How do you deal with "bullies" who try to silence you?
Bishop Desmond Tutu: "Our earth home and all forms of life in it are at grave risk. We men have had our turn and made a proper mess of things. We need women to save us."
Nita Yawanarajah, a political affairs officer at the United Nations, believes that charm (the ability to make other people feel good about themselves) and empathy are just as important as the skills of networking, analysis, patience and a commitment to continued learning when working with oppositional groups.
____________________________________________________________________
Session 4: DIVERSITY OF FEMINISMS
Tuesday, June 3rd, 5:30 p.m.
The Shed at Level 504
(directions above)
Participants include: Vicki Coffman, Theater Professor Emeritus, MSU-B; Joy Honea, Assistant Professor of Sociology, MSU-B, Carolyn Ostby, United States Magistrate Judge; Sherry Matteucci, Matteucci Law Firm & former U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana; Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist, Sharon Peterson, Associate Director, Leadership Montana, Executive Director, Montana BioScience Alliance, Former State Director, U.S. Senator Max Baucus,
It is obvious to us now that not all women are alike. There is no universal voice. The diversity of the female experience can be seen in different ages, different religions, different cultures, different languages and different ways of expressing ourselves in art, literature, and movement. What do you find unique about your life as a woman? How do you relate to women who are different than you? What can we learn from others' beliefs, practices? Can we break down stereotypes within us? What do we have in common? What is your definition of feminism?
____________________________________________________________________
Session 5: CORRECTING WOMEN'S HISTORY
Tuesday, June 17th, 5:30 p.m.
The Shed at Level 504
(directions above)
Participants include: Val Jeffries; Danell Jones, writer, Virginia Woolf scholar and author of Virginia Woolf Writer's Workshop: Seven Lesson to Inspire Great Writing; Sherry Matteucci, Matteucci Law Firm & former U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, Robyn Peterson, Executive Director, Yellowstone Art Museum & environmentalist,
Were you adequately taught about women's contributions to the world? Have you ever stood up to correct a historical misperception about women? How do historical perceptions - right or wrong - color the present world for women? Do you feel knowledge of women's history assists you in navigating the world?
In the 1970s, Judy Chicago, among others, launched an effort to reinstate women into history books, especially ones of art history. This effort continues today. For example, The Women's Media Center was founded in 2004 by Gloria Steinem and others to "assure that women and women's experiences are reflected in the media just as women are present everywhere in the world; that women are represented as local, national and global sources for and subjects of the media..."
Feminist rhetorical theorist Barbara Biesecker, " While we may have managed to insert women into the canon (and, again, this is no small thing), we…have not yet begun to challenge the underlying logic of canon formation and the uses to which ti has been put that have written the rhetorical contributions of collective women into oblivion."
Virginia Woolf: "Indeed, if woman had no existence save in the fiction written by men, one would imagine her a person of the utmost importance; very various; heroic and mean; splendid and sordid; infinitely beautiful and hideous in the extreme; as great as a man, some think even greater. But this is woman in fiction. In fact, as Professor Trevelyan points out, she was locked up, beaten and flung about the room. A very queer, composite being thus emerges. Imaginatively she is of the highest importance; practically she is completely insignificant. She pervades poetry from cover to cover; she is all but absent from history.
Connections/Resources/Women's Issues
This resource list was created for the Conversations Among Women events held in conjunction with my Ancestresses & Wise Women installations in 2008.
_____________________________________________________________________
THE PETITION TO THE UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN AND THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL STATEMENT:The last world women's conference in Beijing 1995 drew 50,000 participants. Now at the beginning of the 21st century, with the state of the world as it is, it is a crucial time for women to come together to make a difference. This conference would be the first since the Internet made worldwide communication easy, and would likely be the largest and most effective gathering of women ever held. PURPOSE: To show worldwide grassroots support for a United Nations sponsored 5th Women's World Conference
Please copy and paste the following link into your browser to electronically sign the petition and then send the link on to your circle.
http://www.5wwc.org/petition_page.html
_____________________________________________________________________
FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN BEIJING DECLARATION 1995
Click here to read the declaration from the the last World Conference on Women
http://www.5wwc.org/conference_background/Beijing_Declaration.html
__________________________________________________________________
BOOKS, ARTICLES, WEBSITES, AND FILMS SUPPORTING WOMEN'S HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE:
*Anderson, Sherry Ruth & Patricia Hopkins, The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women
*Atwood, Margaret, The Handmaid's Tale - Atwood wrote this "science fiction" tale in response to the feminist debates and the backlash against feminism in the early 80s.
*de Beauvoir, Simone, The Second Sex, originally published in 1949
*Bateson, Mary Catherine, Composing a Life: Life as a work in progress - the improvisations of five extraordinary women
*Belenky, Mary Field, Blythe McVicker Clinchy, Nancy Ruie Goldberger, Jill Mattuck Tarle. Women's Way of Knowing: The Development of Self, Voice, and Mind.
*Bolen, Jean Shinoda, Crones Don't Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women
*Bolen, Jean Shinoda, Crossing to Avalon: A Woman's Midlife Pilgrimage
*Bolen, Jean Shinoda, Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World
*Cameron, Anne. Daughters of Copper Woman. fiction
*Chicago, Judy, The Dinner Party, http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party/
museum link, virtual tour of this iconic installation about women in history
*Chicago, Judy, Through the Flower: My Struggle as a Woman Artist
*Duerk, Judith, Circle of Stones: Woman's Journey to Herself
*Eisler, Riane: The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future
*Equal Rights Amendment, http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/faq.htm text and frequently asked questions
*Faludi, Susan, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, written in 1991, about the spread of negativity towards career-minded women and feminist progress
*Fem 2.0 http://www.fem2pt0.com a vibrant online community concerned about all issues effecting women, families and civil society.
*FEMM Women's Rights and Gender Equality European Parliament standing committee http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/femm/home.html
*Foss, Karen A., Sonja K. Foss and Cindy L. Griffen, Feminist Rhetorical Theories
*Friedan, Betty, The Feminine Mystique, written in 1963, attacked the idea that women could only find fulfillment bearing children and homemaking
*Gimbutas, Marija, The Civilization of the Goddess. The World of Old Europe
*Howe, Julia Ward, Mother's Day Proclamation, www.peace.ca/mothersdayproclamation.htm
*If These Walls Could Talk - a 1996 film featuring three vignettes from three decades, depicting the prevelant views about abortion in each time period,
*Irigaray, Luce, The Sex Which is Not One, considering the question of female sexuality in a variety of psychoanalystic and philosophical discourses
*Iron Jawed Angels - a 2004 film about the 1900s American Women's Suffrage Movement
*Marks, Elaine and Isabelle de Courtivron, ed., New French Feminisms: An Anthology, written in 1981,includes writings by Simione de Beauvoir, Hélène Cixous, Julia Kristeva, Luce Irigaray
*Mona Lisa Smile - a 2003 film set in 1953. A feminist teacher comes to an all girls college and finds that her efforts to encourage her students to pursue professions and freedom are hampered by the growing cultural push for women to find fulfillment in the home.
*Ms. Magazine www.msmagazine.com
*The National Organization of Women (NOW) www.now.org
*Redmond, Layne, When Drummers Were Women: A spiritual history of rhythm
*Steinem, Gloria. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions
*Stone, Merlin, When God was a Woman, about the suppression of goddess-based religion
*The Women's Collective, Consciousness Raising, http://www.cwluherstory.com/CWLUArchive/crguidelines.html guidelines for women's groups from the early 1970's
*Walker, Alice: Anything We Love Can Be Saved: A Writer's Activism
*Walker, Barbara G., The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets
*Who Does She Think She Is is a documentary by Pamela Tanner Boll featuring five fierce women who refuse to choose. Website for the film and correlating events and resources http://www.whodoesshethinksheis.net
*Wollstonecraft, Mary, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, written in 1792, arguing that women are not naturally inferior to men
*The Women's Media Center www.womensmediacenter.com whose goal is to make women visible and powerful in the media through grassroots campaigns, email action alerts and news briefs, trainings, panels...
*Woodman, Marion. The Pregnant Virgin: A Process of Psychological Transformation
*Woolf, Virginia, A Room of One's Own, written in 1929, arguing that women must have a fixed income and a room of their own in order to have the freedom to create.
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To find out more about JEAN SHINODA BOLEN, her activism, her books, and the organizations she supports, see:www.jeanshinodabolen.com
www.millionthcircle.org (this organization has NGO status at the United Nations)
www.gatherthewomen.org
www.peacexpeace.org (peace by peace)
www.5wwc.org (the organization focused on creating support for a United Nations sponsored 5th World Women's Conference)
___________________________________________________________________
For more information about GLORIA STEINEM, her activism, the organizations she supports, see:
www.ms.foundation.org
www.gloriaawards.presskit247.com
www.feminist.org (The Feminist Majority Foundation, which now runs Ms. Magazine)
_________________________________________________________________
For more information about Marion Woodman,
see:www.mwoodmanfoundation.org
__________________________________________________________________
For more information about CLYDE CONNELL,
see the article in Sculpture magazine:www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag98/connel/sm-connl.shtml
_________________________________________________________________
For more information about JUDY CHICAGO, see her website:
www.judychicago.com
and her works available on Artsy.net
_______________________________________________________________
For more information about GABRIELLE ROTH, see her website:
www.gabrielleroth.com
__________________________________________________________________
For more information about ANAIS NIN, see:
www.anaisnin.com
_____________________________________________________________________
THE PETITION TO THE UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN AND THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL STATEMENT:The last world women's conference in Beijing 1995 drew 50,000 participants. Now at the beginning of the 21st century, with the state of the world as it is, it is a crucial time for women to come together to make a difference. This conference would be the first since the Internet made worldwide communication easy, and would likely be the largest and most effective gathering of women ever held. PURPOSE: To show worldwide grassroots support for a United Nations sponsored 5th Women's World Conference
Please copy and paste the following link into your browser to electronically sign the petition and then send the link on to your circle.
http://www.5wwc.org/petition_page.html
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FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN BEIJING DECLARATION 1995
Click here to read the declaration from the the last World Conference on Women
http://www.5wwc.org/conference_background/Beijing_Declaration.html
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BOOKS, ARTICLES, WEBSITES, AND FILMS SUPPORTING WOMEN'S HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE:
*Anderson, Sherry Ruth & Patricia Hopkins, The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women
*Atwood, Margaret, The Handmaid's Tale - Atwood wrote this "science fiction" tale in response to the feminist debates and the backlash against feminism in the early 80s.
*de Beauvoir, Simone, The Second Sex, originally published in 1949
*Bateson, Mary Catherine, Composing a Life: Life as a work in progress - the improvisations of five extraordinary women
*Belenky, Mary Field, Blythe McVicker Clinchy, Nancy Ruie Goldberger, Jill Mattuck Tarle. Women's Way of Knowing: The Development of Self, Voice, and Mind.
*Bolen, Jean Shinoda, Crones Don't Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women
*Bolen, Jean Shinoda, Crossing to Avalon: A Woman's Midlife Pilgrimage
*Bolen, Jean Shinoda, Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World
*Cameron, Anne. Daughters of Copper Woman. fiction
*Chicago, Judy, The Dinner Party, http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party/
museum link, virtual tour of this iconic installation about women in history
*Chicago, Judy, Through the Flower: My Struggle as a Woman Artist
*Duerk, Judith, Circle of Stones: Woman's Journey to Herself
*Eisler, Riane: The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future
*Equal Rights Amendment, http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/faq.htm text and frequently asked questions
*Faludi, Susan, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, written in 1991, about the spread of negativity towards career-minded women and feminist progress
*Fem 2.0 http://www.fem2pt0.com a vibrant online community concerned about all issues effecting women, families and civil society.
*FEMM Women's Rights and Gender Equality European Parliament standing committee http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/femm/home.html
*Foss, Karen A., Sonja K. Foss and Cindy L. Griffen, Feminist Rhetorical Theories
*Friedan, Betty, The Feminine Mystique, written in 1963, attacked the idea that women could only find fulfillment bearing children and homemaking
*Gimbutas, Marija, The Civilization of the Goddess. The World of Old Europe
*Howe, Julia Ward, Mother's Day Proclamation, www.peace.ca/mothersdayproclamation.htm
*If These Walls Could Talk - a 1996 film featuring three vignettes from three decades, depicting the prevelant views about abortion in each time period,
*Irigaray, Luce, The Sex Which is Not One, considering the question of female sexuality in a variety of psychoanalystic and philosophical discourses
*Iron Jawed Angels - a 2004 film about the 1900s American Women's Suffrage Movement
*Marks, Elaine and Isabelle de Courtivron, ed., New French Feminisms: An Anthology, written in 1981,includes writings by Simione de Beauvoir, Hélène Cixous, Julia Kristeva, Luce Irigaray
*Mona Lisa Smile - a 2003 film set in 1953. A feminist teacher comes to an all girls college and finds that her efforts to encourage her students to pursue professions and freedom are hampered by the growing cultural push for women to find fulfillment in the home.
*Ms. Magazine www.msmagazine.com
*The National Organization of Women (NOW) www.now.org
*Redmond, Layne, When Drummers Were Women: A spiritual history of rhythm
*Steinem, Gloria. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions
*Stone, Merlin, When God was a Woman, about the suppression of goddess-based religion
*The Women's Collective, Consciousness Raising, http://www.cwluherstory.com/CWLUArchive/crguidelines.html guidelines for women's groups from the early 1970's
*Walker, Alice: Anything We Love Can Be Saved: A Writer's Activism
*Walker, Barbara G., The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets
*Who Does She Think She Is is a documentary by Pamela Tanner Boll featuring five fierce women who refuse to choose. Website for the film and correlating events and resources http://www.whodoesshethinksheis.net
*Wollstonecraft, Mary, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, written in 1792, arguing that women are not naturally inferior to men
*The Women's Media Center www.womensmediacenter.com whose goal is to make women visible and powerful in the media through grassroots campaigns, email action alerts and news briefs, trainings, panels...
*Woodman, Marion. The Pregnant Virgin: A Process of Psychological Transformation
*Woolf, Virginia, A Room of One's Own, written in 1929, arguing that women must have a fixed income and a room of their own in order to have the freedom to create.
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To find out more about JEAN SHINODA BOLEN, her activism, her books, and the organizations she supports, see:www.jeanshinodabolen.com
www.millionthcircle.org (this organization has NGO status at the United Nations)
www.gatherthewomen.org
www.peacexpeace.org (peace by peace)
www.5wwc.org (the organization focused on creating support for a United Nations sponsored 5th World Women's Conference)
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For more information about GLORIA STEINEM, her activism, the organizations she supports, see:
www.ms.foundation.org
www.gloriaawards.presskit247.com
www.feminist.org (The Feminist Majority Foundation, which now runs Ms. Magazine)
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For more information about Marion Woodman,
see:www.mwoodmanfoundation.org
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For more information about CLYDE CONNELL,
see the article in Sculpture magazine:www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag98/connel/sm-connl.shtml
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For more information about JUDY CHICAGO, see her website:
www.judychicago.com
and her works available on Artsy.net
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For more information about GABRIELLE ROTH, see her website:
www.gabrielleroth.com
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For more information about ANAIS NIN, see:
www.anaisnin.com