Monday

Dr. Zoë Marie Jones on (re)Presenting Woman

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Art (re)Presenting Woman adorned the gallery space in Arctic Java, UAF Wood Center throughout March, Women's History and Culture Month. 

Dr. Zoë Marie Jones, Assistant Professor, Art History, shared the following words to open the show, to acknowledge the student artists, and to celebrate their contributions to the artistic presentation, representation, and (re)Presentation of Woman.  
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As most of you know this exhibition is in celebration of Women’s History Month, an event that seeks to recognize the contribution of women both in contemporary times and throughout history. As an art historian I am very aware of the difficulty that women and women’s issues have faced (and continue to face) in the field of art. Although much work has been done to recuperate the feminine role in our traditional canon of art, it remains an under-recognized area of study. Much of this is due to the unavoidable fact that in many cultures a woman’s ability to contribute to culture was extremely limited. Unfortunately this still continues to be a problem, albeit somewhat mitigated. In today's world the challenge has expanded to include larger gender identity issues, a topic that is far from being satisfactorily explored.

The theme of this exhibit is (re)Presenting Women. Historically women were very much marginalized in the arts. Obstacles ranged from a lack of educational opportunities, restricted movement and travel, and a general bias against the female psyche. Often women’s creative endeavors were deemed craft instead of high art and even the few women who managed to break into the male art world were constrained by a lack of models, poor access to materials and difficulties in acquiring adequate training. As a result, well into the 20th century the majority of female artists were known for their self-portraits, portraits of other women, and for paintings of domestic settings. Woman as subjects in paintings is another problematic field. Early depictions of female subjects showed them as passive or subservient or else as allegories referring to either their purity (ie. the Virgin Mary) or supposed degeneracy (ie. Eve). This dichotomy also existed through the early 20th century as women were consistently either depicted as either a pure soul or a temptress. In the late twentieth century there were a number of female (and sometimes male) artists that challenged these archetypes in often militant and blatantly confrontational ways. This was a necessary step in the re-cooperation of the female image and our current artistic culture is indebted to these pioneers.

In conclusion I would like to acknowledge all of the artists who have submitted art for this exhibition. You represent a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and gender spectrums and your participation in this event reinforces the view that artists interested in gender equality can come from all walks of life. Thank you for your contribution.

Dr. Zoë Marie Jones

Thursday

Celebration of Women & Music

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You are invited to our culmination event for Women's History & Culture Month hosted by the Chancellor's Advisory Committee for the UAF Women's Center with support from Women's and Gender Studies.

Celebration of Women & Music
Saturday, March 28th, 7:00 p.m.
Margaret Murie Building Lobby

This event will honor Dr. Suzanne Summerville, former Professor of Music at UAF, for her work in advancing the role of Women in Music, Music in Alaska, and contributions to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Musical performances by UAF faculty and students, as well as community members will honor Dr. Summerville's accomplishments and will honor women participating in musical ventures of all genres, from classical to the eclectic.  Celebrate with us, enjoy music, desserts, commemoration and conversation at this festive gathering, free and open to the public.

Friday

Solving the Equation Watch Party March 26

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Solving the Equation Watch Party
Thursday, March 26th, 10 am
UAF Women's Center, Room 130 Wood Center

Join the UAF Women's Center as we connect to AAUW's launch event for Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing live from the new Samsung headquarters in Silicon Valley. This report delves into the research about the dearth of women in STEM fields — and what employers, educators, and parents can do about it.

A panel of experts from industry and academia, moderated by leading gender-in-science researcher Londa Schiebinger, will discuss the report’s findings and what these findings mean for anyone who cares about tapping the innovative solutions that half our population offers.

Thursday

Atomic Mom * Documentary Film and Discussion * Tuesday, March 24th 6:00pm

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Join the UAF Women's Center for the screening of "Atomic Mom"!

Tuesday, March 24th 6:00pm
Arctic Java in the UAF Wood Center


Atomic Mom weaves an intimate portrait of a complex mother-daughter relationship within an obscure moment in American history. Pauline Silvia, the filmmaker’s mother, undergoes a crisis of conscience about her work in the military during the early 1950’s Atomic Testing Program. Pauline becomes a whistle-blower, having been cowed by the silencing of the U.S. military for decades. In reconciling her own mother’s past, her daughter, filmmaker M.T. Silvia, meets Emiko Okada, a Hiroshima survivor, resolving her own history in Japan. The film follows these mothers, each on a different end of atomic warfare, as they attempt to understand the other.

For more information call the UAF Women's Center at 907.474.6360, visit our website http://www.uaf.edu/uafwomen, or swing in and see us (Room 130 Wood Center, across from the Pub)!

Monday

F-Word Dialogues * Thursday, March 12th 1:00pm

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Join us in the UAF Women's Center (Room 130 Wood Center) Thursday March 12th from 1-2pm for a conversation about controversial words that begin with the letter F, such as: feminist, f*ck, Facebook, fat, FWBs, femme, faggot . . .

Any F words that you would like to add to the list? 

Speaking of F words, how about Full Figured? Leonard Nimoy's Full Body Project photo shoot from 2007 challenged modern standards of beauty with engaging photos of women of all shapes and sizes who clearly love their curves. The Full Body Project might facilitate further thinking on F word choices like fat / full figured. (Be aware that the Full Body Project includes nudity. You might want to consider which venues you choose for viewing the Pull Body Project)

Thursday

Watermarks * Documentary Film and Discussion * Tuesday, March 10th 6:00pm

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"Watermarks" is the story of the champion women swimmers of the legendary Jewish sports club, Hakoah Vienna. Hakoah ("The Strength" in Hebrew) was founded in 1909 in response to the notorious Aryan Paragraph, which forbade Austrian sports clubs from accepting Jewish athletes.

Join us for the documentary that tells of their journeys:


"Watermarks"
Tuesday, March 10th 6:00pm
Arctic Java in the UAF Wood Center


In the 1930s Hakoah's best-known triumphs came from its women swimmers who dominated national competitions in Austria. When they refused to represent Austria in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, they were stripped of their medals. After the Anschluss, in 1938, the Nazis shut down the club but the swimmers all managed to flee the country just before the war broke out thanks to a Hakoah escape operation.

Now, Sixty-five years later, director Yaron Zilberman meets the members of the swimming team in their homes around the world and arranges for them to have a reunion in their old swimming pool in Vienna. 

The journey evokes memories of youth and femininity as well as strengthening lifelong bonds. The documentary is told by the swimmers, now in their eighties, it's a story about a group of young girls with a passion to be the best. It is the saga of seven outstanding athletes who still swim daily as they age with grace. Above all, it is a celebration of life.




Wednesday

CELEBRATE * (re)Presenting Woman * Art in Arctic Java throughout March

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You are cordially invited to (re)Presenting Woman, a student art exhibit in celebration of Women’s History & Culture Month. Drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, collages, and metal sculpture which present, represent, (re)Present, and (re)imagine the concept of “Woman” will hang in the Arctic Java coffee shop gallery area in UAF’s Wood Center throughout the month of March.

Join us to get a good start on celebrating Women’s History and Culture Month at our (re)Presenting Woman First Friday opening March 6th from 5:30-7:00pm, Arctic Java gallery area, Wood Center, UAF.

Click on over to our UAF Women’s Center Facebook page, “Like” our page and RSVP for our (re)Presenting Woman event. Celebrate Women's History and Culture Month & celebrate our talented students at our (re)Presenting Woman art show in Arctic Java, UAF Wood Center.