5for5 Discussion 10.21.11

Featured as part of our opening weekend was 5for5: a discussion led by LMU faculty and students on their personal gender experiences.

Guests on the 5for5 panel included: Philosophy Professor Rosalie Siemon, Rabbi Ilana Schachter, Women's Studies Student Leila Pandy, Film and TV Professor Sue Scheibler, and Dean Barbara Busse of the School of Fine Arts. Attending the discussion were women (and some men) of all ages. We were lucky to have a cross-generational discussion and to share such intimate conversation.

Each guest shared a personal and intimate encounter about their gender experience. On top of the panel members' personal stories, some of the notions we discussed involved: the importance of art and sparking discussion, the term "feminism" and issues related such as why women today are often afraid to be identified by this label, what it means to have/not have certain priveleges and how that factors in on our art, our lives, and our causes, and the way that our minds and bodies are affected by external sources and social norms. All in all, the discussion left me feeling inspired and invigorated, but also with the idea that there is a lot of work to be done in order to enable change and progress. 

We would like to thank to share a special thanks to Erin Mallea and Kenzie O'Keefe for organizing this event. Also, we are greatly appreciative of all the panel members and attendees. And thank you to those who contributed photos!

Below are some of the photographs from 5for5. 

Kenzie Introduces our Panel

From Left to Right: Dean Barbara Busse, Professor Sue Scheibler, Student Leila Pandy, Rabbi Ilana Schacter, Professor Rosalie Siemon

Sitting in our Living Room

Leila Discussing her Personal Experience

Pomona Photos

Hi all. Amanda C provided me with these beautiful photos from our adventure to Pomona College on October 9th, when we went to see Judy Chicago. Although this post is a bit late, I wanted to acknowledge that special day. We felt so encouraged by Judy's words and it was a significant day for us, because it inspired us and added meaning to our own endeavors. Here are some beautiful photos. Thank you, Amanda.

Opening Weekend

The weekend of October 20th was indeed momentous for the women of our show. Everything we have been working toward day and night, came to a climax this past weekend. The opening, on Thursday night, went extremely well and our turn out was better than we could have imagined, filling the space from 6:15pm and on. Friends, family, teachers, peers, mentors, and future friends showed their support in great numbers. Our 5for5 event Friday night was inspiring and made way for an intimate discussion on matters of importance today, led by LMU faculty and students.

We would like to thank everyone who came to the opening reception and 5for5, for their much appreciated support. The success of Womynhouse would not have been possible without you! The evening was not only a fun celebration, but a remarkable and memorable experience for all of the women in our show.

Though the opening came and went in the blink of an eye, there are still exciting events yet to take place. We are grateful to have the show up until November 11th, and we plan to utilize the space as much as we can during this time through evenings dedicated to the spoken word, performance, and celebration. We encourage you to visit and revisit our house while the show is up and to spread the word to women and men alike.

One of the great hopes that has been born through Womynhouse, is that our cause will be continued beyond the show, and that we will get more artists and people who want to create, to join us in sharing stories and expressions.

We are all very excited to share with you...drumroll please...these photos of the opening.

Thank you!

Judy Chicago at "Doin' It In Public"

Yesterday the ladies of Womynhouse attended Otis's show "Doin' It In Public: Feminism and Art in the Woman's Building" (October 1st-January 28th, 2012) at the Ben Maltz Gallery. The show is part of "Pacific Standard Time: Art in LA 1945-1980" and pays tribute to revolutionary 1970's and 1980's feminist artists and art collectives. Attending was Judy Chicago, the pioneer of the essentialist feminist movement and the original Womanhouse, and also one of the most recognized feminist artists.

We were lucky enough to speak with Judy Chicago, and we also invited her to our show. She was excited about Womynhouse and said that she will try to come, though she is not supposed to be in LA at that time. She is scheduled to be in LA to hold a discussion at Pomona College Lecture on October 9th. We will be attending. We encourage all of you to come too. Here are pictures from the show. We can't contain the excitement on our faces!

Us With Judy Chicago (Who is Holding our Flyer)!

Approaching Judy

Amanda with Judy Chicago's Business Card

The Girls at "Doin' It In Public"

Elise in Front of Shrine

Gallery Gathering, Post-Meeting Judy Chicago High

Following our attendance at "Doin' It In Public", we met in the gallery space to layout our floor plan. We are now aware of where we will be putting our work, and it's all very exciting. Also, we continued folding our flyers, which are just gorgeous. Here are pictures from our meeting. Cheers.

Chin, Jess, Elise, Erin

Amanda C

Ari, Chin, Jess, Elise, Erin

Erin, Intently Folding

Amanda A, Lisa, Kelsey, Arielle

Amanda D, Amanda A, Lisa