The Art+Feminism 2015 Wikipedia Edit-a-thon at the Museum of Modern Art (photo by Sarah Cowan/Hyperallergic)
There are ordinary Wikipedia-edit-a-thons, and then there is Art+Feminism, which you might call the mother of them all. What began in 2014 as a small effort to increase the visibility of women on Wikipedia has grown into a multifaceted, worldwide phenomenon that takes place every March (coinciding with Women’s History Month in the US and International Women’s Day). It’s a unique and inspiring push for digital visibility.
The core of Art+Feminism is, of course, the edit-a-thons, wherein participants create and build out Wikipedia pages for female figures in the arts and feminist cultural institutions and herstories. The goal is not just to work toward gender parity in published information, but also to encourage women to contribute to Wikipedia, whose community remains stubbornly, overwhelmingly male.
Divya Mehra’s “Dangerous Women (Blaze of Glory)” (2017) is the first work created for Art+Feminism’s new Call to Action Art Commission program. (via Wikimedia)
This year there are six edit-a-thons in New York City alone, happening on different days over the next week and a half. Etsy, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Kickstarter, Interference Archive, and SVA Library will all host smaller events, while the Museum of Modern Art will host the biggest one on Saturday, March 11: an edit-a-thon that kicks off with a morning discussion about internet activism (featuring Kimberly Drew, Joanne McNeil, Zara Rahman) and includes afternoon breakout sessions with Black Lunch Table, radical librarians Jennifer Ferretti and Alexsandra Mitchell, and others.
The most important thing to remember in all this is that no previous Wikipedia experience is necessary to attend an edit-a-thon. These events are open to everyone, and they include training sessions! You can watch Art+Feminism’s instructional videos beforehand if you want a primer; other than that, just remember to show up armed with your laptop and your good ideas.
When & where:
Tuesday, March 7, 5:30–7:30pm, Etsy HQ (117 Adams Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn); RSVP
Wednesday, March 8, 11am–5pm, Fashion Institute of Technology Library (227 West 27th Street, 5th floor, Chelsea, Manhattan); RSVP
Saturday, March 11, 10am–5pm, Museum of Modern Art (11 West 53rd Street, Midtown, Manhattan); RSVP
Sunday, March 12, 10am–5pm, Kickstarter HQ (58 Kent Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn); RSVP
Sunday, March 12, 2–6pm, Interference Archive (131 8th Street, #4, Gowanus, Brooklyn); RSVP
Saturday, March 18, 12:30–5pm, SVA Library (380 Second Avenue, 2nd floor, Gramercy, Manhattan); RSVP
More info here.
