Women Creating Art for Peace and Gender Justice

ST. PAUL (Feb. 6, 2015) — For the past 20 years the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Arts Committee, a small group of artists, activists, and scholars, has shared the stories of global women and the United Nations documents on Women through the arts in collaboration with other peace and women’s organizations.

Believing in the power of the arts to effect social change and to illuminate public policies, WILPF Arts Committee continues this collaboration in celebrating 100 Years of WILPF, 93 Years of Minnesota Metro WILPF, and 20 Years since the 4th UN World Conference on Women Beijing, with a retrospect exhibition from April 22-29, 2015 at the Carondelet Center, 1890 Randolph, St Paul, MN.

This retrospect documents our art making with images, photos, videos, posters, story boards, information handouts, books, costumes, quilts, scripts, paintings, posters, and sandwich boards.  The stories we tell and the artifacts reflect the human rights abuses of women and the United Nations Beijing Platform for Action – a document based on the earlier UN Call for Action and other UN documents regarding women & children.

The exhibition coincides with the WILPF International Congress and 100 year anniversary to be held at the Hague and also celebrates the 93rd anniversary of our Minnesota WILPF chapter. Daily programs, videos, events and interaction with the artists will be provided.

Wisdom Ways, the Sisters of St Joseph Peace and Justice organization at the Carondelet Center, is providing space and collaboration with the exhibition.

Come see:

• Global Women at the 1995 United Nations Beijing Conference on Women celebrating and working together.
• Art,  performances and curriculum that bring UN Documents on Women to life.
• Mary Yang with her living Hmong Story Quilt telling the story of her life.
• A young mother holding her new born daughter and facing the dilemma of female genital mutilation in her culture.
• Naima Richmond re-counting growing up African American in Atlanta and focusing on Reparation for African Americans in the United States.
• Women in Black vigils witnessing against war and violence against women
• Annual Hiroshima Nagasaki events at the Minneapolis Peace Garden.
• International artists, activists and scholars examining Women and Water Rights.

Collaborators 1995-2015 include:
• Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater & May Day Parades
• Women’s Caucus for the Arts
• Advocates for Human Rights & International Women’s Day Celebrations
• Women’s Drum Center — Janika Vandervelde, composer
• Perpich High School for the Arts
• MN Chorale
• MN Orchestra
• Metropolitan State University
• Mankato State University — Women’s Spirituality Conference
• Hamline University
• MN College of Art & Design
• University of Minnesota
• Hiroshima & Nagasaki Peace Garden Committees
• Minneapolis Park Board
• MN Women’s Consortium
• Two Women Working or “Trappings”
• St Paul Pioneer Press Media Workshop 1997
• MN Alliance of Peace Makers