A music and arts festival festival dedicated to empowering women and combating sexism, the first-ever Ladyfest Atlanta lands at local venues around the city this year March 20-22, and we couldn’t be more excited. The grassroots fest came about in Washington State as five-day event that raised thousands of dollars for local women’s organizations. Since 2000, several Ladyfests have risen up for feminism around the world, including Ladyfest South.
Now, our city is throwing its own Ladyfest, with Chelsea Dunn, Nina Dolgin, Verge Bliss and Stephanie Pharr at the helm. The girl-power weekend will include badass creatives in genres like film, music, poetry, visual art, dance and more, along with vendor markets, an exhibition at Mammal Gallery and a slew of workshops. Kicking off at Mammal Gallery this Friday, Ladyfest Atlanta will celebrate diversity and our local talent all weekend. Here are five reasons why you should check it out.
- It’s for equality: Ladyfest Atlanta’s mission is to create a feminist space to encourage dialogue about sexism, racism and classism in the the local art community, and to provide a platform for local female-identifying artists to promote their work. Many spaces throughout Atlanta still primarily exhibit men’s works, and the fest aims to raise awareness of this issue by helping the arts community be more inclusive and diverse.
- Female artists get a spotlight: Mammal Gallery will be showing original works from local artists including Katie Troisi, Estela Semeco, Laura Vela, Marlee Mincher, Lauren Barfield, among many others during the festival. Mammal Gallery will also show films during gallery hours upstairs by Anna Spence, Lindsey Ferris, Shae Edman and more. It’s a one-of-a-kind chance to see local female talent in one place.
- Let’s be ladies at the Tea Party: On Saturday, March 21, Ladyfest Atlanta will host a large tea party with live readings, performance art and music at the Big House on Ponce. The first edition of the Ladyfest ATL zine will be available for purchase, with all of the proceeds going to Atlanta Zine Fest and Murmur. It’ll be a fun way to spend an afternoon among like-minded friends (with your pinkies up, of course).
- It’s free! You get a chance to meet amazing people whojust want to make Atlanta better and give women in ATL a platform to speak, plus you have access to a slew of workshops and discussions that will aim to educate and inspire.
- Raffle prizes: To those who donate to SNaP Co (and are feeling lucky) during the festival will be entered into a round of raffle prizes to be announced on Saturday during the Tea Party. Prizes include photo shoots, unlimited yoga classes, massages, magazine subscriptions and more.
Get more info on Ladyfest Atlanta here.
