By Ndey Sowe
In commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day 2023, the ‘Network of Women in Arts’, a civil society organisation in collaboration with the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC), is set to hold the Women Art Exhibition and Women of Excellence in Art awards, to celebrate the day.
According to the ‘Network’, All Women Arts exhibition is scheduled from the 8th to 11th of March 2023, and in line with the celebration, they will host the first edition of the Women of Excellence in Arts Award to recognize and celebrate women who have immensely contributed to the development of arts over the years.
Discussing the event, Matty Jobe of the NCAC said the exhibition will feature women in fashion, handicraft, visual arts, film and so on. That the event will be witnessed by Mrs. Fatoumatta Bah Barrow, who has been honoured as Chief Guest and Rohey Malick Lowe, the Mayor of Banjul as grand patron.
That the event hopes to draw government attention on the need to create a comfortable environment for women in the arts to network, build their capacity and provide platforms to exhibit and showcase their talents.
“Our major partner in this is Alliance Francaise, Banjul,” Matty disclosed.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8th as a focal point in the women’s rights movement, by bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights and violence and abuse against women.
Meanwhile, there are many relationship opportunities and project collaborations available.
According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 51 per cent of visual artists today are women. But when it comes to exhibitions and gallery representation, the numbers tell a less optimistic story.
In London, for example, 78 per cent of the galleries represent more men than women, while only 5 per cent represent an equal number of male and female artists. And beyond the statistics, women artists and curators face unique challenges, from the subjects they bring to light to the work they choose to present.
As Tate Modern Director Frances Morris has said, women have been discriminated against for centuries, and major institutions have typically failed to support the careers of women artists working on the margins. However the number of women in the Tate collection is growing, and half the rooms in the Natale Bell building are currently devoted to female solo artist, but work remains to be done.
