Events

The exhibition will be open from 7-26 May, 2011.

Opening times:

Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 11am-5pm

The exhibition will also be open in evenings with this exciting programme of events. All events take place at Centrespace Gallery, unless stated otherwise.

Saturday 7th May

12-4pm – Sistershow exhibition opening afternoon tea party. Come and meet members of the Sistershow cast talking about their memories of the show, enjoy a talk from alternative theatre historian Susan Croft, recreate songs from Sistershow with a singalong from the Sistershow songbook, pick up a copy of the exhibition catalogue and browse the exhibition. Tea and cake provided. Free entry.

7-9pm Performance from Breathing Fire. Breathing Fire perform Playback Theatre which is a unique form of interactive theatre enabling audiences to tell their own stories. People from the audience are invited to share moments from their own lives. They then see them being brought to life as the company immediately recreates the essence of their story using movement, dance, music and song.

Breathing Fire are a group of Black women of African/ Caribbean descent who are committed to the empowerment of those who have historically been denied a voice.

£5-10 sliding scale entry (includes copy of exhibition catalogue for one night only!) No one turned away due to lack of funds.

Sunday 8th May

2-4pm – Sunday with Sheila. An afternoon with women’s historian Sheila Rowbotham who will give a talk entitled ‘Being Women’. Drawing on material from her latest book, Dreamers of a New Day, she will be comparing the dilemmas faced by feminists in the 1890s and early 1900 to those of the early 1970s Women’s Liberation Movement. Donations welcome.

This event is cancelled but the gallery will still be open as advertised

Tuesday 10th May

7-9pm – Film showing of Abortion Democracy, followed by Q & A session with filmmaker Sarah Diehl. Abortion Democracy asks why are illegal abortions more accessible in Poland than legal ones in South Africa. It contrasts changes in Poland and South Africa regarding abortion laws and their impact on the lives of women. £3-5 sliding scale entry. No one turned away due to lack of funds.

Thursday 12th May

7-9pm Hidden Herstories. This film profiles the lives of four hugely important – but often forgotten women – Octavia Hill, Amy Ashwood Garvey, Claudia Jones and Jayaben Desai. It offers engaging and moving portraits of the women and includes interviews with people who knew them, academics and the women themselves. £3-5 sliding scale entry. No one turned away due to lack of funds.

Saturday 14th May

3-5pm Film showing of Raising Hell followed by Q & A session with filmmaker Ed Webb-Ingall. A cross section of young people talk about their experiences of being brought up in a ‘non traditional’ family 50 years since the word homosexual entered the public psyche and consciousness. Through interviews with the children of Lesbian and Gay Parents along side interviews with Jeff Weeks, Susan Golombok and Gil Butler this film aims to tell the story and the history of the modern family.

Tuesday 17th May

7-9pm Ama Mawu – womens spirituality with politics. This group of women, including Monica Sjoo as a founding member, met throughout the 1990s and a few years more. What was it about and how did it develop? Is there a need amongst women in Bristol for anything similar now? On this night of the full moon, ancient festival of Lunar Beltane, shall we try a little ritual? Maybe bring a special stone, feather, or piece of nature magic, just in case………..
Led by Ros Beauhill

Wednesday 18th May

7-9pm Pat VT West: A Celebration of her life and art. Pat VT West was one of the creative forces behind Sistershow. She died in 2008 leaving an inspiring legacy of poetry, dramatics and ingenious activist interventions. Join us to hear Pat’s poetry being read by those who knew her well, including fellow poet and Rive Gauche collaborator, Rachel Bentham. £3-5 sliding scale entry. No one turned away due to lack of funds.

Thursday 19th May

7.30pm – 9pm ‘Bristol Feminism: Past and Present’ in collaboration with the Festival of Ideas at the Watershed.

What was it like to be a feminist in seventies Bristol and what is it like now? Bringing together Bristol feminists from the 1970s and today, and coinciding with the exhibition Sistershow Revisited (Centrespace Gallery 7-26 May), this is a unique opportunity to hear the stories of grassroots activists who have worked, and continue to work, to improve the quality of women’s lives in Bristol. What kind of issues did women raise in the 1970s? How different is it to today’s feminist agenda? How do today’s feminists ensure that vital services created by seventies feminists, such as Women’s Aid, are protected?

Saturday 21st May

2-4pm ‘No Disney all ages show with Sistershow Revisited’ featuring We’re gonna rock the country out! and bellies! And more! £3-5 sliding scale entry. No one turned away due to lack of funds.

Sunday 22nd May

12-2pm Film showing of Silk Sows Ear. A documentary about feminist music in the 1980s made by Penny Florence. Featuring footage of The Fabulous Dirt Sisters, Sista Culcha & Ova.

2-4pm Drum Workshop with Rosemary Schonfeld. Developing individual drumming skills while working as part of a group. Learn how to create your own rhythms. No experience necessary. This event is women only. Trans women, and polygendered people who feel they have links with women’s communities are welcome to attend. £3-5 sliding scale entry. No one turned away due to lack of funds.

Wednesday 25th May

7-9pm Panel discussion about the history of women in manual trades. Come and hear the inspiring personal testimonies of women who like to build, hammer and rewire plugs for a living, defying stereotypical gender roles in the process. £3-5 sliding scale entry. No one turned away due to lack of funds.