As in the case of most histories, the contribution of women in the art world often goes unrecognised. Fortunately, in the age of Information Technology, the chronicling of history is changing. Art + Feminism, a global campaign, is one such initiative that works to get more coverage on cis and transgender women, feminism, and the art world. Towards this objective, since 2014, they have been conducting Wikipedia edit-a-thons across the world.
This time, Bengalureans will get a chance to participate in a Wikipedia edit-a-thon, organised by The Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, in association with The Heritage Lab, the first digital content platform connecting museums and citizens through events and campaigns, and in conjunction with Art + Feminism campaign. The edit-a-thon will centre on creating content on modern and contemporary women artists in India.
Shilpa Vijayakrishnan, senior manager, education, MAP, speaks about tying up with The Heritage Lab for the event. “Wikipedia does various campaigns, Art+Feminism is one of them. The edit-a-thon is fairly new in India. We tied up with The Heritage Lab as they also work with Wikipedia, which is convenient for us as Wikipedia has a set of rules. They track information and the impact of the campaigns they conduct. So Heritage Lab will provide support by having a Wikipedia facilitator for the event. We will be working on artists in our own collection who either have very little written on them or don’t have wiki pages. We will also include other modern and contemporary artists.”
The edit-a-thon is a day-long, free, walk-in event. It is open to everyone, irrespective of experience, gender or background. It would also be particularly appealing to those who are keen on learning about women in the arts or how to edit Wikipedia. There will also be a Wikipedia tutorial for beginners. However, if you have never edited articles on Wikipedia before, you need to register yourself on Wikipedia before the event.
The day will also include a short presentation-cum-talk by Bangalore-based print maker Champa Sharath. The event will be held on April 13, 10 am to 5 pm, at MAP Education Centre, Mohan Mansion, Kasturba Road. The artist’s talk will be held at 12 noon. Participants are to bring their own laptops. Visit: http://map-india.org/
