Summary
An annual lecture series entitled “Feminist idols” provides an opportunity for pioneers of feminist thinking and/or artistic practice to engage in public discourse.
Target groups
Implementing organization
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna - Coordination Office for Advancement of Women | Gender Studies | Diversity /Contact
Ingrid Schacherl, i.schacherl@akbild.ac.at
Implemented/introduced
Implemented since 2016 at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Relation to gender equality targets
The lecture series reflects the Academy’s overall objectives to promote women and their work, to contribute to public discourse, and to strengthen the position of women in academia and the arts.
The objective(s) of the tool
The Feminist idols series intends to present analytical perspectives for feminist research and art, to examine these, and to (publicly) discuss them. It also aims to honor committed and active feminist colleagues and their work. In this way its aspiration is to demonstrate the existence of feminist ideas which have the potential to initiate (social) processes and to stimulate change.
Description of the tool
The annual lecture series is organized by the Coordination Office for the Advancement of Women | Gender Studies | Diversity, in consultation with the Vice-rectorate for Art | Research. An introductory presentation by the feminist artist/scholar segues into discussion with the audience. The lecture series provides a space where theoretical ideas, recommendations for action, and creative practice – encompassing utopias and dystopias – can be critically analyzed and discussed. The title “Feminist idols” contains conscious ambivalence: while the invited speakers are pioneers of feminist art and theory the intention is to also examine the question of what constitutes a feminist idol, and how we address hierarchies and power structures within feminist discourse.
How the tool works, practical experience
Attendance figures and lively discussions show that these events are very well received. The lecture series also reverberates in the media.