7 Ways to Celebrate Women’s History Month 2019
March is all about women — or womyn. Not only is it Women’s History Month, but also International Women’s Day falls on March 8. We found seven events in Southern California where you can commemorate and celebrate the occasion(s).
Various dates in March
ART+FEMINISM 2019 | LOS ANGELES
Art+Feminism is an online editing campaign that works to improve coverage of women, non-binary people, art and feminism entries on Wikipedia—the world’s fifth-most popular website. But of the 1.5 million biographies it hosts in English, only 17% of those articles are about women. Throughout the month, Art+Feminism teams with the online arts journal East of Borneo to host several Wikipedia write-ins and training workshops. Bring your laptop or tablet to create and improve Wikipedia articles at one of the following events: March 9 at the Vincent Price Art Museum (focus on Latinx women and non-binary artists); March 10 at the Hammer Museum (focus on women, film and media); March 17 at LACMA (with a focus on women, design and craft); and March 31 at the California African American Museum (with a focus on women artists in CAAM’s permanent collection and those who have exhibited at the museum over the years). All these events are free with RSVP. All are welcome to participate.
March 8
AN INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATION
Camel Assembly, Nuit Noire and Unity In Color will throw a party on March 8 at the Ace Hotel in downtown L.A. to celebrate International Women's Day. Proceeds from the event go to support Alexandria House, a transitional residence that provides safe and supportive housing and hospitality for women and children. The all-women performance lineup includes music by Mame Adje & Jessi M'bengue, Jasmine Solano and Slow Like Whoa. This 21+ event begins at 10:00 p.m. and is free with RSVP.
March 9
FREE FAMILY DAY: GIRL POWER!
View this post on Instagram A post shared by OCMA / OC Museum of Art (@ocmuseumofart) on Mar 1, 2019 at 10:09am PST
On Saturday, March 9 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Orange County Museum of Art at the South Coast Plaza Village in Santa Ana hosts a day of art and performances that help empower young women and girls. Visitors can make art inspired by the work of current exhibiting artists Valentina Jager and Ni Youyu. Artist Mariángeles Soto-Díaz is joined by girls from local dojos to demonstrate their judo expertise in her exhibition Everyday Grappling Operations, with participation welcomed. Young women and girls can also chill and meditate inside artist Kathryn Garcia’s installation, or watch Compass Dance perform in the galleries. The day’s soundtrack will be proved by Burger Records, and Lost Bean will serve tea and coffee. This event is free with RSVP.
March 9
DON’T TELL MY MOTHER
Don't Tell My Mother is a night of storytelling that celebrates womyn. Held at Café Fais Do Do at 8:00 p.m. on March 9, the show features writers and performers sharing true stories they'd never want their moms to know. This month’s performers are: Gigi Gorgeous (This Is Everything), Alexandra Billings (Transparent), D.J. "Shangela" Pierce (RuPaul's Drag Race), LaLa Milan (BET's Boomerang), Tom Lenk (Busy Tonight) and creator Nikki Levy. The night’s live soundtrack will be provided by Music by Abby & The Myth! Tickets are $25.
March 10
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY HIKE
Tough Women Only presents the fourth annual hike in support of International Women’s Day—a reminder and call to action for gender equality. To honor women all over the world, take part in a moderate, 9-mile hike of Crystal Cove in Newport Beach. Meet at the trailhead at 6:00 a.m. and prepare for the 1,000-foot elevation gain with water, food, sunblock and a hat. While trekking poles are recommended for this hike, good vibes are absolutely mandatory! Free.
March 21-24
LOS ANGELES WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Taking place at the LA Live Regal Cinemas, the Los Angeles Women's International Festival celebrates the works of women filmmakers from around the globe, including Austria, Italy, India and Japan. It opens on March 21 with Meredith Danluck’s thriller State Like Sleep and closes with Beth LaMure’s mother-daughter drama Daisy Winters. The centerpiece screening on March 23 is Hanna’s Homecoming, a horror film by Esther Bialas. Individual tickets are $15 per screening.
March 30
¡DAMAS! CELEBRATING WOMEN CREATORS
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joy Fire (@joyfire) on Feb 15, 2019 at 4:35pm PST
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa presents its second annual ¡DAMAS! Celebrating Women Creators event on March 30 at 5:00 p.m. The day calls attention to the creative voices of many influential women artists, from poets to painters and performers and even a blacksmith. They’ll share their talents and insights through exhibits, interactive booths, videos, demonstrations and a panel discussion about women and their creative processes. Installations and activities include: Trinh Mai’s project and video That We Should Be Heirs, Joy Fire’s forging demonstration, Maria Simeone’s movement and holistic drumming, Chulita Vinyl Club’s DJ and a vinyl demonstration, and Kari Barber of Outer Limits Tattoo art booth. The night ends with Pacific Chorale performing UnSung Heroes in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. UnSung Heroes is a paid ticketed event ($25-$115).
Christine N. Ziemba is a Los Angeles-based arts and culture writer who loves to tell people what to do (and where to go). Check out her events columns and other musings on PopRadarLA.com, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
