The following announcement was provided by the Mosesian Center for the Arts:
The Mosesian Center for the Arts at the Arsenal in Watertown has programmed a collection of events celebrating the talents and voices of women in both visual and performing arts. Feminist Art: Contemporary Perspectives opens as a gallery exhibition on March 22 and runs through May 3. SheGrooves: Using Our Voices for Positive Change (March 27), Lil Bit of (Almost) Everything Comedy Showcase (April 12), and Melodies of Ukraine with the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America (April 14) are three related events taking the Mosesian Arts stages during the exhibition dates.
Feminist Art: Contemporary Perspectives
There is a long line of artists who have created feminist art — Judy Chicago, Faith Wildling, Ana Mendieta, Louise Bourgeois, Barbara Kruger, Betye Saar, Lorna Simpson, and many more. Their work continues to be relevant today as women and other marginalized genders are facing the same issues of oppressive body politics.
Restriction and lack of reproductive rights were some of the issues addressed by feminist artists in the 1970’s, and reproductive justice issues have had a particularly devastating impact on Black and Indigenous communities. Artists in this exhibition are grappling with the same issues and injustices because of conservative and oppressive polices created in recent years.
The present-day resurgence in feminist art, as well as an interest in its history and connection to current intersectional feminist political and art activism, has opened a re-examination of themes of the body, particularly the bodies of women and trans individuals, and how it is viewed. In addition, this exhibition examines the connection between contemporary feminist ideas and ecofeminism.
Feminist Art: Contemporary Perspectives is on display from March 22 through May 3, 2024. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Exhibition sponsor is Siena Construction, a Cambridge-based full-service construction management firm.
SheGrooves: Using Our Voices for Positive Change
Equal parts performance and presentation, this evening of enlightening entertainment will explore how women historically have used their voices for positive change within the world.
“Using Our Voices” explores representation, female empowerment, and women taking a “seat at the table,” particularly during Women’s History Month. The SheGrooves repertoire currently includes original songs as well as unique covers of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Aretha Franklin, and Beyoncé. SheGrooves is an all-female ensemble, comprised of Berklee College of Music faculty professionals and students.
SheGrooves will perform in the Charles Mosesian Theater on Wednesday, March 27, at 7:30 p.m.
Lil Bit of (Almost) Everything Comedy Showcase
Like the changing face of stand-up comedy, this inclusive lineup features racially diverse, female, male, and nonbinary, experienced comics of various ages and places of origin. Each will entertain you with their uniquely absurd experiences and witty points of view.
This original one-night-only showcase is curated by New Normal Productions and features Amma Marfo, Steph Dalwin, Ira Claybourne, Ian Webster, and Roya Hamadani.
Lil Bit of (Almost) Everything Comedy Showcase will be performed in the Dinah Lane Theater on Friday, April 12, at 8:00 p.m.
Melodies of Ukraine with the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America
Playing the traditional Ukrainian bandura, a 55-stringed plucked instrument that embodies the voice and soul of Ukraine, the Women’s Bandura Ensemble draws together performers from across North America.
Many compare the bandura’s tones to that of a Celtic harp or dulcimer that produces an array of sounds from soft overtones to strident chords. The program will include a variety of group pieces, small ensemble pieces, and solos to highlight the versatility of the musicians and their passion for preserving and sharing Ukrainian culture.
Melodies of Ukraine will be performed in the Charles Mosesian Theater on Sunday, April 14, at 2:00 p.m.
The Mosesian Center for the Arts is located at 321 Arsenal Street in Watertown. Free parking is available in a multi-level garage adjacent to the arts center. Tickets may be purchased at the box office or online at www.mosesianarts.org. EBT Card to Culture tickets are available.
About Mosesian Center for the Arts
The Mosesian Center for the Arts is a performing and visual arts venue on the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts. The 30,000 square foot facility, located in an historic 1894 manufacturing shop on a former U.S. Army arsenal, houses a 339-seat main stage theater, a flexible black box theater, exhibition galleries, art classrooms, and a rehearsal studio. Mosesian Arts is located six miles from downtown Boston, borders Brighton and the Charles, and is easily accessible from surrounding suburbs and MetroWest.
Programming includes professional and community theater and musical performances, comedy, gallery exhibitions, literary and art discussions, and performing and visual arts classes and workshops for all ages. Watertown Children’s Theatre, Mosesian Arts’ performing arts education program, provides exceptional classes and performances for youth and families. The venue also hosts celebrated and cutting-edge performing arts companies from throughout the Greater Boston region and New England.
About Siena Construction
Siena Construction is a Cambridge-based full-service construction management firm founded in 1991. Siena specializes in renovations for life sciences and technology firms, healthcare, commercial and tenant spaces, academic campuses, retail, hospitality, the arts, and nonprofits. They proudly provide the best client services and partner with firms that represent the best of what greater Boston has to offer.