| Be Sure Your Events Are On the Calendar! In This Issue • Be On Our SWAN Day List Next Week • Sophie Dowllar Organizes SWAN Day Kenya • SWAN Day Boosts Filmmaker Louise Vance • Check Out Our Free SWAN Day Publicity Tools • Other SWAN Day Announcements Be On Our SWAN Day List Next Week
Sophie Dowllar Organizes SWAN Day Kenya Thanks to all of you who are organizing or participating in SWAN Day events! Together we will show the world the full beauty, power and diversity of women’s creativity.Sophie Dowllar Organizes SWAN Day KenyaOne of our most enthusiastic SWAN Day organizers is Sophie Dowllar of the Five Centuries Human Rights Theatre Group in Nairobi, Kenya. She organized her first SWAN Day event in 2008 in spite of the post-election violence and prolonged unrest in her country at that time. SWAN Day was the first public gathering her group organized after the violence – a brave act since it was still illegal to hold any public activity, and even family meetings were not allowed. |
This week we are sharing a clip from a video that Sophie sent us from that first SWAN Day and an interview with her about the impact of SWAN Day Kenya. There were over 700 people at her second SWAN Day event in 2009, and she is hard at work on SWAN Day 2010. It is so inspiring to see her events growing every year.
In the interview, Sophie talks about the way that SWAN Day is unifying women artists of all ages and many art forms in Kenya. Here is a brief excerpt:
“SWAN Day is indeed helping to build a sense of community for women artists in Kenya. Since the first SWAN Day happened, women artists have been urging us to meet more often. Many a times, we meet under the banner/umbrella of SWAN Day as women in the arts, and it feels nice to hear women talk openly about the challenges they face while doing arts from different genres. . .
Such issues can only be addressed if different artists feel part and parcel of one movement, where no one feels superior . . .SWAN Day has laid a level playing field and all the artists, painters, writers, poets, singers, acrobats, dancers, sculptors, culinary artists, fashion and dress artists, all feel equal while addressing issues as women artists. . .
If mobilized properly, SWAN Day can rock the world!”
Thank you, Sophie! We couldn’t agree more!!
Watch the 2 minute video clip from SWAN Day Kenya>>
Read the full interview with Sophie Dowllar>>
Read Sophie’s article on Women’s Voices & African Theatre (2003)>>
SWAN Day Boosts Filmmaker Louise Vance
Filmmaker Louise Vance organized a SWAN Day 2008 fundraiser for her film, Seneca Falls, and raised over $10,000 towards the completion costs of the film. She used the event to raise funds in three ways – she sold tickets, she asked for donations at the event, and she organized a silent auction.
We are happy to report that she has now finished the film, which is an inspiring piece about a group of high school girls who learn about women’s history as they travel to Seneca Falls, NY to participate in the 150th anniversary celebration of the first women’s rights convention.
Louise has been doing a lot of radio, print, and television interviews in connection with the release of the film. She wrote to us that she will interviewed by CNN’s chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, for a segment of Amanpour (this links to a transcript — scroll down to read the Louise Vance interview) that will air on CNN in the U.S. this Sunday March 21 at 2 pm EST and 11 am PST.
Marie Wilson, Founder and President of The White House Project will be on with Louise to discuss Seneca Falls, and the legacy of women’s rights in the U.S. and around the globe. The program will air on CNN International on Friday and Saturday evenings, March 19 and 20.
Keep an eye out for Seneca Falls on your local public television stations or order the DVD online. When you see the film – remember that Louise was able to complete it because she did a successful SWAN Day event. We encourage you to think of ways to use SWAN Day to raise funds for your work too!
Order the DVD or read more about Louise Vance’s Seneca Falls>>
Check Out Our SWAN Day Publicity Tools
If you are looking for ideas about ways to publicize your event, check out our free SWAN Day publicity tools at SWAN publicity
This is a great article on publicity basics, statistics about women’s employment in the arts, statements about SWAN Day to use in your programs or publicity materials, downloadable logos, sample press releases, and sample mayor’s proclamations.
WomenArts Executive Director Martha Richards will be in New York on Monday, March 22 for Towards a New WPA: Supporting Women Artists Now, a SWAN Day event in collaboration with NewShoe Theatre, Cherry Lane Theatre, and the League of Professional Theatre Women. See www.WomenArts.org/wpa_ny for details. This event is sold out, but you can sign up for the wait list at the door on the night of the performance.
On Friday evening, March 26, Richards will be a keynote speaker at Tenacity, Guts & Grace: SWAN Day of the Greater South Bay at the Alameda Art Works in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit: http://thealamedaartworksblog.blogspot.com/
WomenArts is a community of artists and allies dedicated to celebrating and supporting art by and about women. For an overview of our programs and services, please see the About Us section of our web site.