Women’s History Month events scheduled in March, April

The Idaho State University Women’s History Month (WHM) Committee announces a calendar of events for their March and April 2007 celebration, “Generations of Women Moving History Forward.”

This year’s WHM features nearly 30 events, including conferences, lectures, workshops, concerts, dramatic performances, readings, receptions, book discussions, art exhibits and other displays – something for everyone!  The complete calendar of events can be found on the Janet C. Anderson Gender Resource Center Web site at www.isu.edu/andersoncenter/WHM-07.html. Most events are free and open to the public.

A number of WHM signature events will take place again this year. “The Art of Gender in Everyday Life IV” academic conference, April 5-6, will showcase the work of 40 scholars from across the nation who will present their gender-related work. This year’s conference will include workshops and the WHM keynote address the evening of April 5, “We've Come a Long Way Baby, But Not Quite Far Enough: Progress and Problems of Women in Higher Education,” by Dr. Bernice Sandler, whom the New York Times has called the “Godmother of Title IX.”

The conference sessions will run from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. It will cover a wide range of topics, including the arts, literature, the “chilly climate” for women in academe and the performance of gender. The full conference schedule is accessible at the Anderson Center Web site, www.isu.edu/andersoncenter. Conference sessions are free and open to the public, but registration, available on-site, is required.  

      The Center for New Directions will hold its seventh annual Women and Work Conference on March 7 from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The conference is an opportunity for women who are interested in nontraditional occupations to gain information through workshops, speakers, networking and exposure to local training and educational resources. The conference will feature keynote speaker Brenda Baumgartner of KPVI-TV and lunch speaker Sylvia Medina, president and CEO of North Wind, Inc. The conference is $18 general and $8.50 students. For a schedule and registration information, call 282-2454.

Another annual event held once again this year is the National Women's Juried Art Exhibit and Auction, “Celebrating Women: Their Strength and Vision,” which will be on display in the Pond Student Union Building Transition and Minds Eye galleries March 19-31. Visit their Web site at www.isu.edu/womensartshow for more information.

For many years, the WHM Celebration has included performances of Melissa Stevenson’s “Biologues.” Audiences were treated to entertaining depictions of famous women from throughout history including Susan B. Anthony, Marie Curie, Joan of Arc, Frida Kahlo, Annie Oakley and many more. Members of the WHM Planning Committee were sorry to hear of Stevenson’s untimely death following a car accident.  To read more about Stevenson’s life, visit http://pages.prodigy.net/timostevenson/.

WHM has been an annual event in the ISU and Pocatello communities for many years, providing an opportunity to celebrate the lives of women throughout history.  For more information, please contact the Anderson Center at 282-2805 or gndrctr@isu.edu, or the ISU Women’s Studies Program at 282-5002.