Wonder Women: Radical Manchester

(These events have now finished)

The Whitworth as we know it is closing on September 1st to be extended and transformed. We re-open in Summer 2014.

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In five years, British women will have much to celebrate. It will be 100 years since women first won the (partial) right to vote. That right was the culmination of a long, hard struggle, but there is still much work to be done yet. Featuring events, debate, music, art and more, Wonder Women is a five-year project that asks how far we’ve come – and how far we have yet to go. The aim of this project is to press forward the question of a woman’s role in society today. Challenge everything, and stay dynamic. Get involved today and support the month long series of events in and around Manchester.

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EXHIBITIONS

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Mums Matter 2 Mancunians, People’s History Museum, until 14 April 2013, free

This exhibition highlights the work of Manchester Oxfam Group raising awareness of maternal mortality in developing countries, focusing on two of their recent major campaigns, MOMM:1400 and Pramble.  The exhibition also looks at the ways in which maternal health in the UK has improved during the twentieth century, and how we can protect the lives of pregnant women and mothers.

Developing: Photographs by Mary McCartney, The Lowry, 16 March-9 June, free

An exhibition of photographs by Mary McCartney who produces striking portraits of performers including a gallery dedicated to portraits of ‘radical woman’ including images of strong/revolutionary women in the art and performance sphere including Tracey Emin as Frida Kahlo, Sam Taylor Wood, Tilda Swinton.

Head to Head: Hayley Newman and Emily Speed, Castlefield Gallery, 1 March-7 April, free  

Castlefield Gallery’s annual Head to Head show will feature Liverpool-based and Northern Art Prize shortlisted artist, Emily Speed and the internationally recognised Hayley Newman. Both artists’ work deals with interests around the body, architecture and performance.

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EVENTS

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A Closer Look: International Women’s Day, IWM North, 3-8 March, from 2.15pm daily, free

As part of our programme of events marking International Women’s Day 2013 join us for a 20 minute walk and talk around the Main Exhibition Space to find out more about some of the personal stories in our collections including Emma Kay who worked as an aid worker in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia and Saranda Bogujevci, winner of the first Anne Frank Award for moral courage who survived a paramilitary attack at her family home in Kosovo.

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Full programme of events

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Sunday 3 March 2o13

Sundays at the Royal Exchange: The Pankettes, The Royal Exchange, 3 March, 2pm & 3.30pm, free

Come and join the women’s choir from the Pankhurst Centre for this relaxed and informal performance in the main hall.

Meet the Author: Julie Summers, IWM North, 3 March, 1pm, free

Julie Summers speaks about her new book, Jambusters and paints a picture of the remarkable role played by the Women’s Institute in Britain during the Second World War including members from Dunham Massey, Cadishead, Tarporley and Nantwich.  With three of the featured institutes being Barthomeley, Audlem and Mobberley. Unpaid and unsung these women quietly and often with humour, made the countryside tick.

Radical history walk:“Women at Peterloo”, meet at Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, 3 March, 11.45am, £6/£5 (booking essential)

This walk will explore the role of women in the radical movement and highlight their part in the events of Peterloo. The walk will be led by Michael Herbert from Red Flag Walks. He is the author of “Up Then Brave women; Manchester’s radical women 1819-1918”.

Monday 4 March 2013

Snapshot on Women, People’s History Museum, 4 March, 12.30pm-1.30pm, free (booking advised)

Did you know the museum holds an archive of over 80,000 photographs? Go behind the scenes and delve into our unique photo collections, the Labour Party photograph collection and the Communist Party of Great Britain photograph collection. In this lunchtime drop-in session, browse through photographs on the theme of women and uncover history through the lens. Suitable for adults

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Collection Bites, The Manchester Museum, 6 March, 1.15pm-2pm, free (booking advised)

Lunchtime conversations about key objects from the collection. The theme for March will focus on dried plant specimens (herbarium sheets) linked with Lydia Becker and Maire Stopes.

The Pankhurst Walk, meet at the Visitor Information Centre, Piccadilly Gardens, 6 March, 1pm, £7/£6 (booking advised, 07505 691 105)

Hear the story of the Radical Manchester Family who catapulted the fight for women’s suffrage to the top of the public and political agenda a century ago. Were they valiant role models or manipulative troublemakers?  There are two sides to every story.

Thursday 7 March 2013

Gallery Talks: artists Isabel Dacre and Annie Swynnerton,Manchester Art Gallery, 7 March, 12.30pm-1.30pm, free (booking advised)

The Art Gallery has 17 paintings by the Victorian painter, suffragette and feminist Isabel Dacre, who studied art at the Manchester School of Art. She began a lifelong friendship with fellow artist Annie Swynnerton, and together they founded the Manchester Society of Women Artists in 1876; Dacre also served as president of the organisation. For a decade Dacre was a member of the executive committee of the Manchester National Society for Women’s Suffrage.  Her portrait of feminist editor Lydia Becker is one of her best-known works.

Thursday Lates: Un-Convention Women: Pussy Riot at Manchester Art Gallery, 7 March, 6pm-8.30pm, free (booking advised)

Our Wonder Women launch brings the issues raised by the suffragettes up to date with an evening about current issues arising in feminism around the world.  The programme includes spoken word and music performances, plus discussion of recent events in Russia with the Pussy Riot trials, with readings of the testimonies of the convicted Pussy Riot members: Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samucevich.

Through the screen: Women in Iraq 10 years on, IWM North, 7 March, 6pm-7.30pm, free (booking advised,learningnorth@iwm.org.uk or on 0161 836 4000)

In the week of International Women’s Day and the tenth anniversary of the Iraq invasion IWM North and The Abundance Lab are teaming up to generate exciting and engaging debate around women and conflict focussing on how women are affected by conflict and how they use their resilience to cope with its effects in the context of the tenth anniversary of the Iraqi invasion. Including speakers such as Eugenie Dolberg, who trained a group of Iraqi women to use photography to tell their own stories of how war shapes lives in a project titled Open Shutters: Iraq.  How have women and girls been affected by the conflict? How do they cope? Are their voices heard? How are the issues specific to women? Together we will explore and discuss these and many more questions.

Friday 8 March 2013

Girls Allowed, National Football Museum, 8 March, 12.30pm-1.30pm, free

Special tour on the theme of women who championed women’s football and the links between women’s football and votes for women

Gallery Talks: Breaking Glass Talk about the Suffragette Attack on Paintings in the Collections, Manchester Art Gallery, 8 March, 12.30pm-1.30pm, free (booking advised)

On 3rd April it is the centenary of an attack by three suffragettes – Annie Briggs, Evelyn Manesta and Lillian Forrester – on a number of pictures in the Manchester Art Gallery as part of the militant campaign for votes for women. The women were charged under the Malicious Damage Act.   They made a statement stating that “we broke the glass of some pictures as a protest but we did not intend to damage the pictures”.

Women in science, now and then, The Manchester Museum, 8 March, 1.15pm-2pm, free (booking advised)

Panel discussion with three leading female researchers from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, Manchester.

Living History performance: The Hard Way Up – A Suffragette’s Story, People’s History Museum, 8 March, 1.15pm-2pm, free.

Celebrate International Women’s Day and watch our Living History character based on the life of suffragette Hannah Mitchell. She spoke out for women and the poor and became a peace campaigner after World War I. This event has been supported by Manchester City Council.

Radical history walk: “Up Then Brave Women; Manchester’s Radical Women”, meet at the Robert Owen statue, outside the Co-op bank, Corporation Street, 8 March, 10.45am, £6/£5 (booking essential)

This walk explore the rich radical  history of the city and the role played by women. The walk will be led by Michael Herbert from Red Flag Walks. He is the author of  “Up Then Brave Women; Manchester’s  Radical Women 1819-1918”.

Saturday 9 March 2013

Livi Michael – The Malkin Child, Working Class Movement Library, 9 March, 2pm-4pm, free

Livi Michael will discuss her recent novel, Malkin Child, which tells the story of the Pendle Witches Trial of 1612 from the perspective of a young child, Jennet Device. Livi lives in Oldham and is the author of many novels for adults and young people, often set in the Manchester area. She also teaches creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. Also: Ruth Eversley, who is a volunteer with Oldham Unity, will discuss the work of the project in supporting destitute asylum seekers by providing them with food and support.

Sunday 10 March 2013

Make Sunday your Mum’s Day, People’s History Museum, 10 March, 11am-4.30pm, free

Mums matter to us all. On Mother’s Day, Manchester Oxfam Group invites everyone to come to the museum and tell us how much their mums mean to them! Make a flower to plant in their garden, create a card, or write a note for the display.

Radical history walk:  “Votes For Women”, meet at the Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, 10 March, 11.45am, £6/£5 (booking essential)

This walk explores the history of the campaign for votes for women from 1868 to 1918. The walk will be led by Michael Herbert from Red Flag Walks. He is the author of  “Up Then Brave Women; Manchester’s Radical Women 1819-1918”.

Wednesday 13 March 2013

In Focus: A Nurse At The Front, IWM North, 13 March, 2.15pm, free

Hear the story of Edith Appleton OBE RRC who served in Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve in Northern France throughout the First World War. Hear extracts from the diary of Sister Edith Appleton and discover their poignant insights into the role of a nurse working in testing and often dangerous circumstances. Presented by Dick Robinson, her great nephew and author of the ‘War Diaries: A Nurse at the Front’

The Clever Clogs Tour. University Women (guided walk), meet at The Manchester Museum main entrance, 13 March, 1pm, £10 (inc. cake and coffee) (booking essential  or 07505 691 105)

Education has helped women to flourish even if we still don’t shout as loud as the boys. Some remarkable women have been and still are involved with the Universities in Manchester. You may not have heard of them until now. Hear some tales of Manchester’s quiet revolutionaries.

Future Perfect? Radical Women, Royal Exchange Theatre, 13 March, 5.30pm-7.30pm, free (booking essential, note: week 1 of 3)

What do you think women’s role in society should be? And if you’re not happy with women’s role in your society, how can you change it? As part of the Theatre’s Truth about Youth programme (supported by the Co-operative Foundation), young women aged 14-21 are invited to come and take part in this mini project debating, discussing and meeting the radical women of today.

Violeta se fue a los cielos (CTBA) (Violeta Went to Heaven), part of ¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Film Festival,Cornerhouse, 13 March, prices vary (book viawww.vivafilmfestival.com or 0161 200 1500)

Violeta se fue a los cielos recounts the fascinating life of Violeta Parra (1917-67), Chilean composer, songwriter, folklorist, visual artist, and mother of the New Chilean Song Movement.  Andrés Wood traces Parra’s life from her humble beginnings in rural Chile to her life as a cultural icon passionate about preserving traditional culture.  The film features a rich soundtrack of Parra’s influential songs.

Thursday 14 March 2013

Gallery Talks: Manchester Art Collector and Philanthropist Anna Philips, Manchester Art Gallery, 14 March, free (booking advised)

Thursday Lates Programme: Delia Darlings, Manchester Art Gallery, 14 March, 6pm-8.30pm, free (booking advised)

Celebrating the life and work of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire (1937-2001), one of the pioneering figures in the development of electronic music in Britain.  Delia Darlings are Manchester based artists working in music and sound who have been paying sonic homage to Delia Derbyshire by spending time with her archives at the University of Manchester. For this special event there will be live performances and Delia Darlings will share their insights into the life and work of Delia Derbyshire.

Friday 15 March 2013

Women in science, now and then, The Manchester Museum, 15 March, 1pm-2pm, free (booking advised)

Focusing on women scientists from Manchester’s history such as Marie Stopes, Kathleen Drew Baker, Margaret Murray and Lydia Becker.

Lydia Becker, women in science then and now (guided walk),meet at The Manchester Museum, 15 March, 2.30pm, £7/£6 (booking essential or 07812 129754)

 A walking tour from Manchester Museum to John Rylands Library.

From Mary Wollstonecraft to Margaret Thatcher – Women’s History Tour, People’s History Museum, 15 March, 1.15pm-2pm, archive tour 2pm-2.30pm, free (booking advised)

Come along for a guided tour of the main galleries of the People’s History Museum and discover how women shaped our history. Including the ‘first feminist’ Mary Wollstonecraft, the suffragettes, the peace campaigners at Greenham Common and, love her or hate her, Britain’s first female Prime Minister.  Stick around afterwards to see unique material in the Labour History Archive & Study Centre and go behind the scenes in our archive tour.  Suitable for adults.

Saturday 16 March 2013

Radical Religious: Elizabeth Prout (guided walk), starting at St Chad’s Church Cheetham Hill and ending in Castlefield, 16 March, 10.30am, £7/£6 (booking essential or 07723 503702)

Despite strong family opposition, she converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism in the mid-1800s, at a time when Catholicism was still viewed with suspicion in this country.  She moved to Manchester, living in Cheetham Hill, working among the poor around Angel Meadow and Ancoats.  She founded a religious order for working-class women, and ran evening classes for mill and factory girls.  Her reputation spread beyond Manchester and the work of her order expanded across the region.  She may one day become the Catholic Church’s first official saint of the Industrial Revolution.

Girl Geeks BarCamp, MadLab, 16 March, 10am-5pm, free (booking essential)

An all-day interactive ‘unconference‘, where the talks are provided by attendees, and the programme isn’t known until the conference is under way! Think of it as a big, all-day Show & Tell!  Typical topics at BarCamps include technology, science, mathematics, or anything else that’s geeky and fun! Share your knowledge, passion and enthusiasm with other like-minded nerdy types. Bring your laptop, tablet, phone or other wi-fi enabled device, and anything you want to share!  As with all Manchester Girl Geeks events, male attendees are welcome, as long as they come with a female friend.

Violeta se fue a los cielos (CTBA) (Violeta Went to Heaven), part of ¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Film Festival,Cornerhouse, 16 March, prices vary (book viawww.vivafilmfestival.com or 0161 200 1500)

Violeta se fue a los cielos recounts the fascinating life of Violeta Parra (1917-67), Chilean composer, songwriter, folklorist, visual artist, and mother of the New Chilean Song Movement.  Andrés Wood traces Parra’s life from her humble beginnings in rural Chile to her life as a cultural icon passionate about preserving traditional culture.  The film features a rich soundtrack of Parra’s influential songs.

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Future Perfect? Radical Women, Royal Exchange Theatre, 20 March, 5.30pm-7.30pm, free (booking essential, note: week 2 of 3)

What do you think women’s role in society should be? And if you’re not happy with women’s role in your society, how can you change it? As part of the Theatre’s Truth about Youth programme (supported by the Co-operative Foundation), young women aged 14-21 are invited to come and take part in this mini project debating, discussing and meeting the radical women of today.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Thursday Lates Programme: FutureEverything, Manchester Art Gallery, 21 March, 6pm-8.30pm, free

Saturday 23 March 2013

Radical Women, Works from the Whitworth Collection, The Whitworth, 23 March, 11am (textiles), 1pm (fine art and prints), free (booking essential via whitworth@manchester.ac.uk or 0161 275 7450)

Join our curators behind the scenes to celebrate some of the most radical and innovative women within our historic and contemporary collections.

Hysterical Historical Back (guided walk), meet at the Royal Exchange and finish at The Midland for afternoon tea, 23 March, £30 (booking essential via Quay Tickets or 0844 375 2013)

The redoubtable Audrey and Olivia, stalwarts of the WI, made famous in the Bronte satire Withering Looks, are your tour guides on this passionate tribute to Manchester women. From notorious gossip Mrs Gaskell to the Pankhursts, nothing is sacred!  Part walking tour, part theatre, part comedy, part tea-and-cakes in the exalted company of LipService Theatre.

 Sunday 24 March 2013

Annie Horniman: Manchester’s Theatre Pioneer (guided walk followed by film screening), starting at the Visitor Information Centre, Piccadilly Gardens and ending at Cornerhouse, 24 March, Midday, £10/£8.50 (booking essential, http://www.cornerhouse.org)

Annie Horniman consulted the Tarot daily, but even she couldn’t foresee her influence on British theatre. Annie used £25,000 of her family’s packet tea fortune to buy Manchester’s Gaiety Theatre, intent on bringing classics and new locally written plays to working class audiences. While in the city Annie became an instant celebrity, not only for her ideas but for her extrovert behaviour and way of dressing. Miss Horniman herself will lead the walk, where she’ll introduce us to her radical Manchester, telling tales of an exciting time when the world was changing fast and many women were not afraid of taking charge.

The walk concludes with a screening of David Lean’s Hobson’s Choice. Annie Horniman championed many playwrights during her time at the Gaiety, including Harold Brighouse. Arguably Brighouse’s most famous work, Hobson’s Choice has been adapted for the screen several times and is the tale of a hapless 19th century boot-maker, rather too fond of his local pub and trying to cope with a trio of wilful daughters. Join us for a screening of its most well-known incarnation, directed by David Lean and starring Charles Laughton and John Mills. A beautifully constructed romantic comedy, with characters painted with such affection – and performed so well – that it remains a real pleasure to watch.

Monday 25-Friday 29 March 2013

Breaking Glass: Gallery Display, Manchester Art Gallery, 25-29 March, free.

Wednesday 27 March 2013

Future Perfect? Radical Women, Royal Exchange Theatre, 27 March, 5.30pm-7.30pm, free (booking essential, note: week 3 of 3)

What do you think women’s role in society should be? And if you’re not happy with women’s role in your society, how can you change it? As part of the Theatre’s Truth about Youth programme (supported by the Co-operative Foundation), young women aged 14-21 are invited to come and take part in this mini project debating, discussing and meeting the radical women of today

What we really, really want. The Sex and Shopping walk, meet at the Beetham Tower foyer, 27 March, 1pm, £7/£6 (booking essentialor 07505 691105)

Saunter through town with a few tales of the Manchester women who fought for sexual equality, good times and good shopping.  To ensure your continuing health and wellbeing, we will finish with a chocolate tasting session.

Thursday 28 March 2013

Gallery Talks: Breaking Glass Talk about the Suffragette Attack on Paintings in the Collections, Manchester Art Gallery, 28 March, 12.30pm-1.30pm, free (booking advised)

On 3rd April it is the centenary of an attack by three suffragettes – Annie Briggs, Evelyn Manesta and Lillian Forrester – on a number of pictures in the Manchester Art Gallery as part of the militant campaign for votes for women. The women were charged under the Malicious Damage Act.   They made a statement stating that “we broke the glass of some pictures as a protest but we did not intend to damage the pictures”.

Thursday Lates: DJ Mary Anne Hobbs in conversation with Dave Haslam, Manchester Art Gallery, 28 March, 6.30pm-8.30pm, free (booking essential)

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Breaking Glass: Gallery Display, Manchester Art Gallery, 3 April, free

Thursday 4 April 2013

Breaking Glass: Gallery Display, Manchester Art Gallery, 4 April, free

Thursday Lates: RNCM in the City Concert for Wonder Women: Radical Manchester, Manchester Art Gallery, 4 April, 6.30pm-8.30pm, free (booking advised)