Support Women Artists Now Day/SWAN Day is officially this Saturday, March 27, 2021. Since many of you will be celebrating from home, here are some great online options from SWAN Day NY, the Ladies Quintessential Quintet, and SWAN Day Kenya.
If you are in Southern California, you can check out an in-person event from SWAN Day Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert. Also, SWAN Day Connecticut will do an online event on April 17.
SWAN Day New York – Online Screening of “Farewell Amor”
New York Women in Film & Television will do a free online screening of IFC Films’ critically-acclaimed Farewell Amor as part of its annual SWAN Day celebration in partnership with eight other groups that advocate for women in film – SAG-AFTRA, FF2 Media, Women in the Arts & Media Coalition, HerFlix, In Creative Company, The Gotham, African-American Women in Cinema, and Women Make Movies.
Farewell Amor, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of Angolan immigrant Walter, who is joined in the U.S. by his wife and teen daughter after 17 years of separation. Now absolute strangers sharing a one bedroom Brooklyn apartment, they struggle to overcome the emotional distance between them.
The film is the feature-film directorial debut for Ekwa Msangi, a Tanzanian- American filmmaker, who has previously directed award-winning shorts. She will participate in a talkback via Zoom on Saturday, March 27 at 12 p.m. EDT.
Viewing Dates: Friday – Sunday, March 26 – 28 from 9 a.m. EDT on Friday to midnight EDT on Sunday.
Date of Zoom Talkback: Saturday, March 27 at 12 noon EDT.
Watch the Film & Talkback: The screening & talkback are free, but you must register in advance to get the links to watch the film on your computer or smart TV and to participate in the Zoom talkback session. Please register here>>
Want More Films By Women?
If you are looking for more films written or directed by women, check out HerFlix, a website featuring movies by and about women where about half of the films are available for free viewing, and FF2 Media (created by SWAN Day co-founder, Jan Lisa Huttner), which has many reviews of films written or directed by women. If you want to organize a virtual or in-person screening of a women’s film in your community or school, be sure to check out the 700 films offered by Women Make Movies, the world’s leading distributor of independent films by and about women. They will send you publicity materials and a guide to hosting screenings.
Ladies Quintessential Quintet – Concert of Women Composers
Please join The Ladies’ Quintessential Quintet, Trio de Bois and emcee, Dr. Erica Kyree Glenn, for an online concert of works for wind ensembles by living women composers on Sunday, March 28, 2021 at 5 p.m. PDT.
This will be a rare opportunity to hear chamber music by women composers performed by all-female ensembles. The ensembles will perform “Illumination” by Tanya Landau (with dance by Siva Rooja Ramachandran) ; “Ménage a Trio” by Adrienne Albert;
“When There Are Nine” by Amy Dunker (a tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg); “Woman With…” by Gay Kahkonen (with art and dance by Natalee Maxwell); and “Party Line” by Mary D. Watkins (see video above). Each piece will be accompanied by a short pre-recorded interview with the composer, and there will be a Zoom discussion session with the composers following the event.
The members of the Ladies’ Quintessential Quintet and Trio de Bois come together for several projects each year, including concerts, residencies, and recordings. Since they have a passion for cutting-edge new music, they welcome collaborations with composers. The musicians include: Rose Johnson, flute; Nicole Marriott-Fullmer, oboe, English horn; Lori Shepherd, clarinet, bass clarinet; Robyn Watson, bassoon; Cassandra Bendickson, bassoon; Sonja Reynolds, horn; Allison Vest, piano.
Date and Time: Sunday, March 28th, at 5:00 PM PDT
Price: $10
Register: Please register in advance on Crowdcast by clicking here>>
SWAN Day Kenya
SWAN Day Kenya is scheduled for Saturday, March 27, 2021 from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. Kenyan time. Unless President Kenyatta announces a complete lockdown, they will be streaming their event live on their Facebook page. Parts of the event will also be available on their YouTube channel.
The six-hour event will feature a variety of musicians, dancers, spoken word artists, and visual artists. Many popular SWAN regulars will appear, such as rapper Pizo Dizo, singer Lydiah Dola, and graffiti/visual artist Faith Atieno.
Since it will be an online event, the program will also include former SWAN Kenya artists who are now living abroad, such as Masallah Somba (now based in Hungary), and Lonesome Bounty (Ciru Muchiri – now based in the U.S.). Spoken word artists Queen A and Rebian Artis will perform, as well as many other talented women who combine their art with social activism.
Date: Saturday, March 27, 2021 – 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. EAT (Note: This is the Kenyan time zone – please check the Time Zone Converter for local times.)
Price: Free
Place: Streaming on the SWAN Day Kenya Facebook page
SWAN Day 2021 Joshua Tree
SWAN Day 2021 Joshua Tree will be a free in-person event taking place Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28 in two venues in Joshua Tree, a small town which is approximately 2,700 feet above sea level in the Mojave Desert of southern California.
The Saturday event will be at Ricochet Vintage Wears from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will feature live music, speakers, live painting, women-made artisan goods, yoga, a sound bath, and a snake wrangler (a first for SWAN Day!!)
Sunday’s event will be at Giant Rock from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and will feature live music, live painting, women-made artisan goods.
SWAN DAY 2021 JOSHUA TREE, CALIFORNIA
Saturday, March 27, 2021, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Ricochet Vintage Wears, 61731 29 Palms Hwy, Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Sunday, March 28, 2021, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Giant Rock, 61731 29 Palms Hwy, Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Register for this free event: SWAN Day 2021 Joshua Tree Eventbrite page
Coming April 17 – SWAN Day CT
Swan Day Connecticut will put on its annual music festival dedicated to women in the arts 4/17/21 at 3 p.m. EDT. This year’s theme will be “Love Yourself.” The free show will be streamed live from the Free Center in Middletown, CT. Check their Facebook event page for more details!