In honor of Women's History Month, the School of Social Transformation hosted two inspiring women artists to discuss important issues facing women across the globe today.
The afternoon began with a book reading from author, activist and musician Imogen Binnie. Binnie, stopping at ASU as part of a book-reading tour, read from her new novel "Nevada." "Nevada" portrays a young transgender woman, Maria Griffths, living in New York City, who finds out her girlfriend has cheated on her. She then embarks on a journey that in time will change her life forever, and along the way, she meets James, who is struggling with his identity.
After reading a few chapters from her new novel, Binnie discussed the support issues facing the transgender community in today's society. She hopes her novel will resonate to people who are experiencing the same problems as the characters in the novel.
"In the past, there was a very limited scope of of conceptualizations of what it meant to be trans, but now conversations of identity and comparing struggles to other marginalized groups are beginning to happen," Binnie said. "The internet has really facilitated these conversations. That's why it's shown through the blog connection between James and Maria."
In a quote from the book's press release, publisher Tom Leger at Topside Press discussed the impact of transgender community on Women's History Month.
“Women’s History Month is an important time to celebrate the contributions that women have made to culture,” Leger said. "But too often, the organizers forget that trans women are an integral part of women’s history and the feminist movement. Sending Imogen (Binnie) on a tour for 'Nevada' during March is one small way of correcting that erasure.”
Binnie concluded her reading by discussing how she hopes her book brings light to the failures of the perceived transgender model or notion of what it means to be a transgender woman and to provide new outlooks to the identities of the transgender community.
Following the book reading was a presentation by international sculptor, Lilian Nabulime. Nabulime presented her work and research on the lives of Ugandan women living with HIV/AIDS through sculpture. Nabulime, whose life was affected by HIV/AIDS (her late husband was diagnosed with the disease), began to develop sculptures to bring awareness of the terrible disease, which she believes is a "woman's issue." Nabulime began sculpting forms from tree roots, depicting the drastic effects of the disease on the family and human body.
After receiving her Ph.D. from Newcastle University in the U.K., Nabulime explored different mediums of sculpture while researching the experiences of other Ugandan women living with HIV/AIDS. After a few experiments with wood and stone, Nabulime began to develop sculptures out of clear soap, which she found could easily transport to people in Uganda. The soap sculptures depict the effects of the disease on the female and male anatomy and enables people of all ages and abilities to understand the meaning behind the sculptures.
Nabulime explained how, when she presented her sculptures to women and men, they began to share their experiences fighting and preventing the illness. Nabulime says her soap sculptures encouraged and allowed for open conversations between women, men and families about the HIV/AIDS illness, which she strongly advocates is necessary in order to combat the epidemic, especially for women, who seem to be more reserved than men when talking about the disease.
"If we are not open, we cannot solve this problem," Nabulime said. "Art can help people address openly about the issue."
Imogen Binnie and Lilian Nabulime are examples of how women are still facing and advocating for important issues in the international society. The Women's Rights Movement embraces open discussion as means to solving problems, and advocacy through art is paving the way for the necessary open conversations.
"Nevada" by Imogen Binnie will be released April 2, and the sculptures of Lilian Nabulime are currently in exhibition at the Promega BioPharmaceutical Technology Center in Madison, Wis., now through June 7.
Reach the reporter at hdiiullo@asu.edu or follow on Twitter @HaleighD_SP.
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