fourth wave feminism?

There's an interesting little stream of consciousness piece in today's New York Times Style Magazine by Ingrid Sischy about feminism and the fashion world. It's difficult to say exactly what Sischy is saying here, but she seems to be calling upon fashion designers to be make more conscious decisions about clothing women's bodies. She even touches on post-humanism and cyborgs briefly, but that's more of a tangent.

Shades of confusion

In this past weeks NOW there is an article by Cecil Foster titled
Shades of Confusion-"Black"' is a shifting identity that depends on where you are and who's looking at you which talks about the meanings of black and blackness and the different ways people are identified/identify with blackness.

Born In Flames

There's a film called Born In Flames from the 80's that we have it in the OCAD library, this is the write up about it from IMDb

Set ten years after the most peaceful revolution in United States history, a revolution in which a socialist government gains power, this films presents a dystopia in which the issues of many progressive groups - minorities, liberals, gay rights organizations, feminists - are ostensibly dealt with by the government, and yet there are still problems with jobs, with gender issues, with governmental preference and violence. In New York City, in this future time, a group of women decide to organize and mobilize, to take the revolution farther than any man - and many women - ever imagined in their lifetimes.


I was trying to see if i could download it but haven't been able to. There's a clip from it on youtube tho..

Another Exhibition! (Re) Producing Identity

Hey everyone,
Here's another exhibit I found at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, that's related to what we're doing in class... Oddly enough I've found all these events but can't seem to find what I was actually looking for... :) This is the outline: ' This exhibition of photographs explores the formative period in the history of multiculturalism in Canada by focusing on the work of photographer Michel Lambeth. Taken primarily in Toronto during the 1950s and 60s, Lambeth’s photographs present an idealized view of happy co-existence between immigrants and Canadians. Providing visual evidence of successful integration and diffusing tension through humour and perceptive observation, these photographs helped shape contemporary notions of diversity and Canadian identity.' Again, admission is free, and here's the link if you wanna check it out:
http://www.artgalleryofhamilton.on.ca/ex_current.php#11

Identity Construction Art Show

If anyone is interested, I was searching around online and came across this event at the Hamilton Art Gallery, in Hamilton 'I.D'. This is the outline from the website: ' This group show looks at identity construction in art since the 1970s. Examining key work that has directly confronted the issue in visual terms, it considers how art has addressed cultural stereotyping and labelling, in part by re-contextualizing visual clichés and asking viewers to reconsider the line between representation and reality. The exhibition will include works by Suzy Lake, Lori Newdick, Michael Euyung Oh and Stephen Andrews.' The event runs from February 17th- May 13th, and admission is free... I've never been to the Hamilton Art Gallery so I have no idea how this will be, but it sounds very related to some of the things we've been discussing in class. Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out:
http://www.artgalleryofhamilton.on.ca/ex_upcoming.php

there's a land that i see...

The 1972 TV special/book/record "Free To Be... You And Me" was referenced in "I Was A Teenage Feminist" so to start off this blog I thought I'd post a few songs and clips from it.
According to the back of the record, the initiative to start the whole thing came from when Marlo Thomas (a.k.a. "That Girl") went to read her niece a bedtime story, but could only find stories that "charmingly dictated who and what [children] must be, colorfully directing new minds away from their own uniqueness."
Certainly an interesting project. Catchy songs too.

Atalanta (featuring Alan Alda and Marlo Thomas)


Parents Are People (featuring Harry Belafonte and Marlo Thomas)


(you can actually find most of the TV special on youtube)

and some songs from the soundtrack:

The New Seekers - Free To Be... You And Me
Diana Ross - When We Grow Up
Dick Cavett - My Dog Is A Plumber
Harry Belafonte & Marlo Thomas - Parents Are People

(the links will expire after about a week)