A series of podcasts co-created with Desperate Artwives and in association with the Women’s Art Library, Special Collections, Goldsmiths University. Listen here
Concept and Director: Amy Dignam
Presenter and Editor: Susan Merrick
Woman Up! is a series of Podcasts devised by Desperate Artwives in collaboration with Artist Susan Merrick and in association with the Women’s Art Library at Goldsmith’s College. Driven by the many inspiring women and stories we have come across in our feminist practice we realised that we wanted to hear more from some of this amazing group of people. So we have started to gather women from all walks of life who have inspired us, influenced us and activated our practice as artists and curators but above all as humans. We speak with women artists, mothers and academics, writers and activists, midwives, carers and more. Those hoping to inspire, or those being inspired. Those challenging ideas and ideals, questioning assumptions and provoking social change. And maybe those who just have something important to share. We will have conversations about lived experiences, about achievements and inspirations and we will share stories as well as campaigns and awareness. We are choosing to talk to Women* because So much of women’s experience around the world is hidden, silenced, not documented or minimised. This isn’t a podcast for only women to listen to, but it IS a podcast about women and women’s lives. We also focus most of our conversations with women who are also Mothers or Carers. Desperate Artwives is a platform that was set up in 2010 by Amy Dignam to provide visibility and support for Artists who were also mothering/caring. Combining these roles continues to lead to Artists being discriminated against but also to Artists simply not having the time or resources to function in ways that are expected by the ‘Art World’. These Podcasts remain an extension of this work. Join us monthly at www.desperateartwives.co.uk/podcast We would like to say a special thank you to: Althea Greenan and The Women’s Art Library at Goldsmiths College for providing us space and equipment to record as well as support for the project; Rosemary Schonfeld and OVA for the use of their track Early in the Evening, and to the Women’s Liberation Music Archive for storing such inspirational music that we can then find! Mike Dignam for remixing the track for us beautifully and last but definitely not leas, Francesca Mattia for her generous funding of the project. *Including Trans Women ’trans women ought to be included in the feminist coalition because we share some experiences of misogyny with cis women, because we share liberatory goals with feminism, and because our exclusion makes feminism weaker’ Alyson Escalante