LadyFest Baltimore is a grassroots, community-based festival created
by and for women to present, celebrate, and encourage women's
artistic, entrepreneurial, and cultural achievements.
Contact: The LadyFest Baltimore Organizers Email: info@ladyfestbaltimore.org
LadyFest Baltimore Offers Workshops, Music, and Performance Art April 11, 12, and 13, 2008 Grassroots festival celebrates women’s experiences and achievements, offers networking for area feminists, and reflects Baltimore’s DIY aesthetic.
Baltimore, Md - LadyFest Baltimore 2008 is a grassroots, community-based festival created by and for women to present, celebrate, and encourage women's artistic, entrepreneurial, and cultural achievements. This one-time festival, held April 11-13th, 2008, will feature a series of volunteer-coordinated events, including workshops, discussions, music, performance art, and other forms of self expression. Events include:
Friday, April 11th LadyFest kicks off with a themed party at the woman-owned Metro Gallery. Come dance & meet fellow feminists! Vote on the party’s theme: ladyfestbaltimore.org
(Metro Gallery - 1700 N. Charles Street, 8pm. Cost: $6-8, BYOB)
Saturday, April 12th
Meet at the 2640 Cooperative space to learn, discuss, and share! Daytime workshops & discussions cover a wide range of topics, including yoga, DIY screen-printing, knitting, and discussions on feminism, including a discussion on men as feminists and allies.
(2640 St. Paul St. 10 am – 6pm. Cost: donations)
(Note: some workshops will be held at the nearby Village Learning Place [2521 St. Paul Street.] Check ladyfestbaltimore.org or meet at 2640 St. Paul St before walking over to VLP).
Saturday night features an evening of woman-led rock bands at Load of Fun Studios, including Pariah Piranha, Odd Girl Out, Erinz, & Nicky Click!
(Load of Fun Studios – 120 W. North Ave., 8pm. Cost: $10 [21+] $12 [under 21]).
Sunday, April 13th
An Indoor Feminist Family Picnic gets things rolling with hoola hooping, crafts, a DIY bike maintenance workshop, and music that everyone can enjoy. Pack your picnic basket and bring the whole family!
(2640 St. Paul St., 11:30am – 1:30pm. Cost: donations)
Workshops resume at 2pm with a feminist family ally discussion, menstrual health extravaganza, a ‘zine workshop, and so much more!
(2640 St. Paul St., 2pm – 6pm. Cost: donations)
The weekend ends with the LadyFest Cabaret, an eclectic, inspiring, and simply amazing collection of performance artists, acoustic musicians, and spoken-word poets, including hooping performances by Noelle Hooping Powers; folk stomping music and spoken word by JailBird Thunder Heart; belly dancing; performance art; and more! Come celebrate the closing of a wonderful weekend with us!
(2640 St. Paul St., 7:30pm – 10pm. Cost: $4)
LadyFest History
The LadyFest movement began in Olympia, Washington in 2000. Inspired by the third wave feminist Riot Grrrl movement, organizers of the first LadyFest sought to create a safe space for women artists and musicians. They formed an inclusive community in which all women could feel safe sharing skills, stories, and ideas. Their successful festival drew a crowd of 2,000 participants and raised money for local women’s charities. Since the first LadyFest in 2000, dozens of other cities and regions in America, Canada, and Europe have held LadyFest festivals, including Washington DC in 2002 and Philadelphia in 2003. There is no central organizing body for LadyFest—each city or region develops the festival as a unique expression of local culture and interests.
Building on this rich tradition, a small group of Baltimore women began meeting in early 2007 to develop a vision for LadyFest Baltimore 2008. LadyFest Baltimore 2008 will be the first LadyFest to take place in Baltimore. Like many past LadyFests, LadyFest Baltimore has no director or central contact; instead, organizers use a non-hierarchical structure and consensus-based decision making model to guide all planning. Carrying on the LadyFest tradition of woman-centered philanthropy, proceeds from LadyFest Baltimore will be donated to Power Inside, a local nonprofit serving currently or formerly incarcerated women and women at risk for incarceration.
LadyFest Baltimore is a nonprofit group under the sponsorship of the 501(c)3 organization Fusion Partnerships, Inc. There are numerous opportunities for individuals to organize, volunteer, and participate in the event. While only woman-identified persons may organize the event, any person—male or female—may volunteer or donate to LadyFest Baltimore. Visit www.ladyfestbaltimore.org for more information. For disability accommodation, contact us at info@ladyfestbaltimore.org.
www.ladyfestbaltimore.org
All proceeds from LadyFest Baltimore will be donated to Power Inside, a local nonprofit serving currently or formerly incarcerated women and women at risk for incarceration.
Mission:
Formed in May 2001, Power Inside is a community-based organization committed to building self-sufficiency, improving quality of life and preventing incarceration among women and families in Baltimore.
Services:
Our service strategy has four components: (a) street-based community health outreach to women involved in prostitution (b) group & individual interventions with incarcerated women (c) daytime drop-in resources for high-risk women, and (d) research, public education & advocacy to expand community-wide access to health and treatment services. Power Inside frequently provides technical assistance to city, state, and nonprofit entities on service provision because of our innovative approach and highly specialized knowledge in working with women cycling through the criminal justice system and women in prostitution.
Clients:
Through collaboration with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Power Inside completed a comprehensive needs assessment of our client population. Our findings indicated that almost half of the women had no stable housing where they could stay for more than 30 days. Most women did not have insurance or a legal income prior to arrest and reported high rates of chronic diseases.
Women reported high amounts of mental illness and recent daily heroin and cocaine use. Five percent of respondents reported being infected with HIV; however this is probably an underestimate due to self-report. One-third of the women we interviewed had traded sex for money, drugs or a place to stay. A significant number of female detainees were injection drug users in the 30 days prior to arrest, and most who had recently injected drugs reported high-risk behaviors such as sharing needles and other injection equipment.
Capacity:
While still small, Power Inside has demonstrated the organizational capacity to carry out quality programming. Our four program staff members reach more than 300 women annually. Staff expertise ranges from clinical social work to peer-based knowledge, and all staff are trained AIDS Administration HIV Counselor/Testers. To enhance our funded programs, we utilize strong partnerships, in-kind resources, and volunteers. An ETO/Social Solutions database is used to store and analyze client data.
Support:
Our host organization, Fusion Partnerships, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, provides administrative and fiscal support and contract management. We are currently funded by the Baltimore City Health Department Homeless Services, the Open Society Institute, the Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Baltimore Community Foundation, the Abell Foundation and other organizations.