Ladyfest Manchester 2008
type=digital_archives
"Ladyfest is a not-for-profit, volunteer-led arts and music festival which aims to create a space for female artists and musicians to be seen and heard in an environment which is inclusive, individual and fun.
Ladyfest as a concept is unique amongst festivals but Ladyfests have in fact been happening all over the world for eight years now. The first Ladyfest took place in August 2000 in Olympia, Washington, USA, the heart of riot grrrl country. It was organised by a collective of 50 volunteers and attracted an audience of 2,000 people from all over the world. It included film, art, workshops and performances from Cat Power, Sleater-Kinney, Bratmobile and The Gossip.
What is unique about Ladyfests are their DIY spirit: they are not affiliated with one another which means that anyone can appropriate the name and make it their own.
Our Ladyfest, which is happening this November in the Zion Arts Centre in Hulme, has a diverse schedule of events organised. Friday and Saturday will play host to comedy, cabaret and burlesque amongst other wild and wonderful things at the Ladyfest Carnival. An arts launch on Friday evening will reveal an exhibition of young and emerging female visual and performance artists. We will be screening films throughout the weekend including feature length productions, documentaries and shorts by female directors. On Saturday and Sunday night we have some fantastic female musical talent to showcase by bands usually sidelined by the male-dominated festival circuit. Bands already confirmed include: Shrag, Manda Rin (Ex-Bis), Zombina and the Skeletones, Kids Love Lies, The Lovely Eggs, The Bobby Mcgees, Vile Vile Creatures, Town Bike, Suicidal Birds, Penny Broadhurst and Manchester favourites GeEkGirl, Hotpants Romance, Hooker and the godmothers of female punk themselves, The Slits.
We also understand that the Ladyfest ethos is not just about entertainment but about discussion and debate so there will be workshops on a range of topics including zine-making, car maintenance and self-defence. One of our aims was to provide a space for feminist dialogue so to tie in with the overall theme of our festival we have organised a panel discussion on women in the cultural industries with speakers including Miranda Sawyer, Prof. Sheila Rowbotham and Dr. Marion Leonard with BBC4 in attendance filming the debate for WOMEN, a three-part documentary series about feminism and its impact on contemporary women's lives
In the meantime we are continuing our fundraising efforts so watch out for these events and come and support us:
Crafternoon at Fuel, Withington on 21st September from 2pm. An afternoon of acoustic sets from Like A Thief, First Black Precedent and Awesome Wells with knitting, DJs, dancing and board games. Entry is £2.
Ladybois, boys who support Ladyfest Manchester at Satan’s Hollow on 25th September from 7:30pm. Performances from The Seven Inches, Ste McCabe, Beat the Radar, Web Sheldon and Pete Bentham & the Dinner Ladies. Entry is £3.
Queers Support Ladyfest at TV21 bar on 2nd October from 9pm. Featuring Salty Lips, Ste McCabe and Hug Party. Entry is £3.
Mission Statement:
* We aim to be inclusive. We stand against sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and other forms of discrimination.
* We aim to create a platform for feminist dialogue. Feminism we define as the social and political movement towards equality between the sexes and an end to sexism.
* We aim to create a space for female artists to be seen and heard; we do this to counteract the marginalisation and discrimination women still face in the creative industries, not with the view of further ghettoising female talent but with the hope that one day events like Ladyfest will no longer be necessary.
* We aim to work in non-hierarchical, collective, inclusive and consensus- based ways.
* We want Ladyfest Manchester to be open to the appreciation of all regardless of age, sex, gender, race or class; we aim to promote the festival to the whole of society.
* We want to showcase as many aspects of female artistic endeavours as possible." (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5889279790)