International Women’s Day 2024: Inspiring Inclusion in the College of Arts, Across Campus, and Around the World
This month, we celebrate International Women’s Day, which is recognized annually on March 8. This day of collective global activism aims to commend women’s achievements, raise awareness about discrimination, and take action to drive gender parity. The 2024 theme is #InspireInclusion – collectively forging a more inclusive world for women everywhere. The College of Arts shares the University of Guelph’s commitment to celebrating women’s contributions, telling their stories, and supporting their success. The College takes pride in actively engaging in a variety of events to honour contributions of women students, staff, and faculty at U of G and in playing a critical role in creating an equitable campus and empowering women.
On International Women's Day, the Sexualities, Genders and Social Change (SXGN) program in the College invites the campus community to attend an art installation and poster prize presentation, featuring a public lecture by Dr. Emily Abrams Ansari, assistant dean of Research and associate professor, Western University, Faculty of Music. Guests will have the opportunity to meet the Collaborative Specialization students who created the posters in response to this year’s International Women’s Day theme. The art installation, which will run from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and poster competition, which will run from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., will take place in the Arts Research Centre (ARC) lobby. The competition will be followed by a welcome by College of Arts Dean Samantha Brennan. Guests will then be invited to listen to remarks by University of Guelph President Charlotte Yates. At 11:15, attendees will be invited to the ImprovLab, room 108 in the MacKinnon building, where Ansari will discuss "Feminism, Crafting, and the Minimalist Music of Ann Southam." Proceeding Ansari's lecture, guests are welcome to mingle with SXGN faculty members and enjoy light refreshments in MacKinnon, room 103.
Further, on March 8, Nneka MacGregor, one of the activists-in-residence recently welcomed to the Grounded and Engaged Theory (GET) Lab, and Layla Staats, activist, musician, film maker, and change artist, will be delivering keynote presentations at the Honouring International Women's Day Conference 2024: Refocus and Recenter event to be hosted virtually by the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. The conference will highlight interdisciplinary and intersectional research addressing challenges faced by women*, girls, and genderfluid communities. The theme, "Refocus and Recenter", aims to amplify the voices, expertise, and achievements of women in research and beyond. The event will also include student research presentations on topics including the impact of minority women in fields such as science and the arts, and the interconnectedness of feminism and womanism. Register for the event online.
The above events form part of a suite of programming that various University partners are offering and participating in in honour of International Women’s Day.