This last installation of the Artivism Lecture Series focussed on feminist issues through the presentation of several different mediums of art. This included short films, poetry, personal storytelling and even music. This event was by far my favourite of the three. As it took place at the Glad Day bookstore, the style of this particular event was a lot more laid back and inclusive. The public was able to walk in to the café and see what was going on inside and instead of focussing solely on who was presenting, audience members were able to mingle as well as get their tarot cards read. My experience with this was very positive. I have never participated in anything like this so I had a very open mind when starting.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to everyone’s stories and appreciated their art. The story told by Anna Willats as part of the “Things Feminist Activists Wrote (or did) When They Were Younger” second was especially astonishing. Hearing about her struggle to have a child as a same sex couple was particularly interesting and brought me joy to hear that she is now a grandmother alongside many others. Along with this, I was very unaware of the laws put in place against homosexual activity, which made the lives of these individuals so much more difficult. Presenting our feminist remediation project: Curfew for Men, was very gratifying. At first I was a bit nervous as everyone who presented previously were so accomplished, but the response from the crowd was truly fulfilling. I had an amazing experience working with this group of girls, so seeing first hand that our work and efforts paid off made us very happy.
In regards to the tarot card reading, I kept a very open mind throughout the process. The reader informed me that her practice does not predict your future and is very different from fortune telling. The cards have several meanings that can be interpreted differently depending on how they relate to you personally. The outcome could also be things one already knows about themselves and she also clarified that you can do what you will with the results. Overall, the woman was very accurate in her predictions. She told me that I am very passionate about an opportunity I have just received. This is referring to the internship I was just hired for in a field I have always seen myself working in, therefore, the cards were very precise. It was also very comforting to hear that I will be successful in this and that I am now able to focus my efforts on other things in my life. In all, my experience attending this last portion of the speaker series was very positive. If an event like this were to occur again I would love to attend again and would highly recommend to others.