Ladyfest Bellingham 2009

"Our Manifesta

LADYFEST BELLINGHAM is a feminist, queer-oriented community organization dedicated to supporting the artistic production of women and those who identify as women. We define feminism less as a set of rules and more as a vehicle for asking questions.

We want to ask why women are underrepresented in the visual, musical, and cinematic arts- why, for example,
- Only 3% of all of the cinematographers in Hollywood are women? And a woman has never won an Academy Award for Film Directing?
- 90% of solo exhibitions at the Met during 2000-2004 featured white male artists, 8.5% featured white women, and 1.5% featured artists of color?
- In a study of music guides published 1977-2001, all-male bands made up more than 75% of the entries?
There are many answers to these questions, just as a feminist community response can take many forms.

We believe that if there are many ways to silence someone then there are also many ways to make noise and claim space. We believe that expertise is too often a male-defined concept. We believe that if the rules surrounding the production of art are preventing you from creating it then you have the right to disregard them. We believe in the necessity of fostering spaces where people can create and share their art without needing to evaluate it.

Don't be afraid to try. Don't be afraid to not judge someone else. Your neighbor's noise could also be their liberation.

We believe in noise and street-stenciling and homemade movies and late-night conversations. We believe that friendship and play are essential to any revolution. We believe in a D.I.T. (do-it-together) future where our ethics are formed through support, relationships, and creativity.

Let's make it happen." (http://www.ladyfestbham.org/manifesta.htm)

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