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What did YOU find inside Pandora's Box?

The power that lies within...

Pandora's Box is an exhibit of feminist art. Not all artists are self proclaimed feminists, and many have reservations about using this term, which is understandable considering the baggage that tends to follow it's use around. But none the less, the artists, and their art are reflecting on issues that are pertinent to feminist discourse. The uniqueness of this exhibit lies in its ability to create a safe space for the expression of this discourse through a medium that in its essence makes explicit the connection between the personal and the political.

These women are writing and rewriting themselves with their art, a practice that has been historically denied to women (particularly women of color). Many women (including myself) feel resistant to engaging in such a practice as we have been denied the belief that we have (or should have) the power and agency to conceive of our sexual, gender, and racial identities in a way that is different from the ones that have been forced upon us by the structure and forces of patriarchy.

The way in which i think about my own personal power is similar to the way i think about my personal creativity. The power and the creativity are both there inside, in abundance. The world is scared that i use these two things, especially together. The powers that be reinforce the notions that i don't have power and that i am not creative, and i have come to believe both of these things. We all have the power to create (in fact we are always recreating the world around us), our power comes from our ability to understand that power and creativity are the same. This awareness can bring us to a place where we consciously create. By rejecting myths about femininity and sexuality we are creating and recreating. Rediscovering the agency that i have to reject and critique the stereotypes and myths about who i am is not an easy task, but it has to start somewhere. I believe that Pandora's Box is but one space that provides an opportunity for women and men to tell new stories about ourselves. These stories have the power to not only transform ourselves, but those who come and bask in their creative power.

"By writing the self, woman will return to the body that has been confiscated from her, which has been turn to an uncanny stranger on display. Write yourself. Your body must be hear. Only then will the immense resources of the unconscious be heard"~ Helene Cixous

Event: Come and get to know Pandora

What's In the Box? Getting To Know Pandora
An evening of community engagement of the arts

Tuesday, March 9th 2010
From 7:00-9:00pm

@ The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery

101 Queen Street North Located in the Centre In The Square

On Tuesday March 9th join the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) for an evening of art, conversation and community engagement. KWAG, in conjunction with WLU Women Studies students, will be hosting this event in order to create dialogue surrounding the themes of the current exhibit, Pandora's Box.

"Inside Pandora's Box viewers will encounter a phantasmagoria of myths, folk tales, stereotypes and ambiguity. These international artists challenge disempowering myths and fairy tales to make them a more accurate mirror of female experience in new socio-historical contexts. They share personal fictions, political statements and psychological manifestations. We are invited to reflect on larger human issues such as birth, death, parenthood, relationships, rites of passage and multiple identities through an engagement with other worldly creatures and everyday environments".

The aim of this event is to create a safe space in order to enhance the sharing of views and experiences on such issues as sexuality, gender and race. The Women Studies students will be conducting interviews with viewers of the exhibit. These voices will be used as a catalyst for further discussion, in the form of a blog (and here you are!). If you've already had the pleasure of walking through Pandora's Box, we welcome you back inside in order to share your experiences/reflections. If you have yet to step inside, please come in!

Participation in video and audio is voluntary.

This is a free event. Everyone is welcome.

Snacks and refreshments will be provided!