Though it rolled in like a lamb, March's salute to women resembles more of a roar, one that has reverberated strongly through the arts community.
For International Women's Day on March 8, nods came from many local organizations honouring women working in the arts. Alberta Foundation for the Arts featured two TREX exhibitions showcasing the works of female artists. TREX is AFA's traveling visual arts program, which is available online while museums are closed.
Highlights of the day included the Edmonton Journal's profile on the work of designer Leona Brausen and her textiles exhibit Hero Material, which is inspired by the wardrobes of four famous Canadian women. First up is Viola Desmond, and suits to suit Buffy Sainte-Marie, kd lang, and Emily Carr will appear in the space in the weeks to come.
SkirtsAfire Reimagined is still in full swirl in the windows of Old Strathcona, and you can catch online performances of Dana Wylie's Makings of a Voice and Body of Words, the Ballet Edmonton collaboration with poets Nisha Patel and Medgine Mathurin, until March 14.
Need more Nisha? Edmonton's poet laureate, who wraps up her term on June 30, dropped The Land is a Woman, a special to the University of Alberta's School of Business, which recently honoured her as a distinguished alum from the class of 2015.
Linda Hoang also issued a list of 41 Edmonton-area artists, makers, and entrepreneurs to support for IWD, which includes fashion and jewellery designers, illustrators, storytellers, photographers, and poets — plus everything you need to get your hands on their goods, too.