Considering Feminisms in Aotearoa New Zealand: Two Projects

Considering Feminisms in Aotearoa New Zealand: Two Projects

A call for Exhibition and Journal Proposals

Feminism is something that has changed our lives. Recently, the activist Marilyn Waring reviewed the impact of feminism in Aotearoa New Zealand and reminded us that just 40 years ago banks wouldn’t lend women money without the guarantee of a man, and that if a woman refused sex within a relationship and this refusal was ignored it wasn’t considered to be rape.

But feminism as we know it in the mainstream media and in much public discourse is still a limited discussion, one often wrapped around the ideology of liberal feminism and its representation of equality for women within the existing hierarchical capitalist structure, or else favouring the radical feminist dialogue surrounding the rights of display and access to women’s bodies. This public discourse privileges a version of feminism ensnared in a westernised vision of a privileged social economic system, heavily weighted towards white middle-class careerism. It ignores broader feminist discussions which look at the specificities of feminism from multiple perspectives, feminisms that address the interrelationships between our expectations of gender and class, race, culture, and economics,feminisms such as Maori feminism, eco-feminism, Islamic feminism, transfeminism, and socialist feminism. What does it mean to be a feminist on the marae? What does feminism mean to a refugee from a culture where gender expectations differ from those of Aotearoa New Zealand? What does it mean to be a feminist when you shift between genders? What does feminism mean to you when you’re a mother who can’t earn enough to pay childcare? What does it mean to be a feminist when you’re a father and people talk about you babysitting your children as though you’re the backup parent? What does it mean to be a feminist when you’re deeply involved in a patriarchal religious belief system?

Every November the Enjoy Trust curates an exhibition at Enjoy Public Art Gallery and once in a while we produce the Enjoy Occasional Journal. This year we are very excited to announce that we are doing both in two complementary projects through which we hope to present thoughtful discussions on feminisms in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are seeking proposals on feminisms in Aotearoa New Zealand for both the exhibition and the journal which will be co-launched in November.

The trust exhibition will have two aspects: an exhibition of works in the gallery and one or two action-based or participatory works. If you are interested in sending in a proposal for either of these aspects please read the specific requirements for each under the Trust Exhibition heading.

The Journal will be looking for both written work and visual artworks suitable for online presentation. If you are interested in sending in a proposal for the Journal please read the specific requirements under the Enjoy Occasional Journal heading.

Trust Exhibition

Exhibition proposals
We are looking for 2-4 artists or artist collectives to show a work or works in the gallery exhibition. We will be looking for works that are both thoughtful responses to our theme, and also stand out as strong contemporary artworks in whatever form you propose. We would like you to develop a work or works particularly for this project rather than submitting works that have already been shown elsewhere.

In your proposal please explain:

• What you specifically wish to discuss and from what feminist perspective;
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• What your connection with this discussion is;
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• How you are considering approaching it, and what the end result is likely to be;
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• And please send us examples of relevant past works or works in progress.
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Our intention for the exhibition is to have regular meetings (in person and via skype if outside Wellington) with all the participating artists so that we have a shared awareness of the works. We hope that this will lead to a more considered and enriching approach for the show.

Action or Participatory proposals
We are seeking proposals from individuals or groups to create and host a participatory or action-based work alongside the exhibition, either at Enjoy or at another appropriate site. This could take the form of a protest, performance or community-based activity. Our preference is that this work will include part of the local community as active participants.

We expect to select one action-based or participatory project and will work with the selected individual/group to realise it from June – November 2015.

In your proposal please explain:

• Your background and interest in feminist issues;
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• The scope of the project you are proposing, including an overview of what/who/when/where/how/and why;
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• Whether you have any relevant experience creating and/or managing similar projects.
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Submitting your proposal
For the Trust Exhibition please send your proposals (as .doc, .docx or .pdf files) and any questions totrustshow@enjoy.org.nz by Friday, 15 May 2015.

Following Your Submission
Please expect a response to your proposal 3 weeks after the deadline.

If your proposal is accepted, you will have five months to complete your proposed project, working in consultation with the Enjoy Trustees.

Enjoy Occasional Journal

Journal proposals
We are seeking proposals for written pieces and artworks on various aspects of feminisms, to be published on Enjoy’s Occasional Journal website, journal.enjoy.org.nz. We particularly welcome wider cultural investigations, debates and provocations in written form or as artworks, especially artworks suited to an online platform such as video works. You are welcome to submit works that have already been produced or shown elsewhere, as well as pieces developed especially for the Journal.

We expect that written works will average 1500 words in length, but are open to experimentation, more in-depth pieces and alternative formats such as fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry. If you would like to illustrate your written piece, you as the author will be responsible for obtaining high-quality digital files and associated copyright clearances.

In your proposal please explain:

• what you specifically wish to discuss and from what feminist perspective;
•
• what your connection with this discussion is;
•
• how you are considering approaching it, and what the end result is likely to be;
•
• Please send links to, or examples of, any relevant past works or works in progress (5-10 images if your proposal is for an artwork).
•

Submitting your proposal

For the Enjoy occasional journal please send your proposals (as .doc, .docx or .pdf files) and any questions to journal@enjoy.org.nz by Friday, 15 May 2015.

Following Your Submission
Please expect a response to your abstract 3 weeks after the deadline.

If your proposal is accepted, you will have three months to complete your proposed project, working in consultation with the Enjoy Trustees.

All written submissions will be content and copy-edited before publication. Enjoy reserves the right to edit written submissions in consultation with authors, and to decline to publish writing that is incomplete or inappropriate, as determined by the Trust. The Trusts’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

We can’t wait to receive your submissions.

The Enjoy Trust

ends

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