West Hollywood will celebrate women and their history with a wide range of events this month that range from panel discussions on current issues to dance performances to art exhibits to the naming of the city’s Women in Leadership Award winner. March is Women’s History Month and most of the events are coordinated by Women Manifest, an initiative co-sponsored by the city whose mission is to celebrate and make visible the accomplishments of women in West Hollywood and Greater Los Angeles and empower women and girls.
The celebration ranges from a display of street-pole banners along Santa Monica Boulevard that commemorate famous American women, civil rights leaders and women’s rights activists to an event with an assortment of performances and vendors and displays at Plummer Park on Sunday in honor of International Women’s Day.
“March is a month to celebrate women — those who have made history and those who are creating it today,” said Mayor Mayor Lindsey Horvath. “I’m extremely proud that West Hollywood is one of the most outspoken cities in the nation when it comes to supporting women. Women’s History Month promises to be filled with incredible art, film, discussion, thought and celebration.”
Here’s a rundown of this month’s events (For more information contact Larissa Fooks, the city’s community events coordinator, at (323) 848-6413 or at lfooks@weho.org.
— Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. West Hollywood celebrates International Women’s Day at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. near North Vista. The day’s theme is “Pledge for Parity,” and the event will feature artisans, displays and vendors. The entertainment line-up will include: Sergey Shevchenko, Boris Yudelevich, and children singers; ballroom dancing by the Studio of Ekaterina Fedosova; Flamenco dancing with Elizabeth Ipina of Pasion Flamenco De Los Angeles; the Kol Sephardic Choir with soloist Margarita Kligerman; director and producer Merilyn Kohler with Sensational Ladies group;,and a Japanese martial arts demonstration by Aikido Academy Los Angeles. The event is co-sponsored by the city’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission, its Russian Advisory Board and its Women’s Advisory Board,as well as the American-Russian Business Council and the Time Presses recreation club. For more information, contact Tatiana Rodzinek at (323) 848-6826 or email her at trodzinek@weho.org.
— Sunday, 3 to 6 p.m. In conjunction with the International Women’s Day celebration, there will be an opening and artists’ reception for “Exposed — Celebrating Local Women Artists.” The exhibition will feature art from different mediums and is curated by Nancy L. Meyer. Featured artists include Susan Arena, Brooke Mason, Lindsay Price, Henie Reisinger and Jane Szabo. The reception will take place at the West Hollywood Community Center at Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. near North Fuller. The exhibition will continue through April 8 and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Exposed is co-sponsored by the city’s Women’s Advisory Board and the L.A. Art Association. To RSVP for the opening reception email exposedrsvp@gmail.com or call (323) 515-0848.
— Monday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The West Hollywood City Council and the city’s Women’s Advisory Board will host a kick-off of Women’s History Month with a reception and unveiling of two new Women’s History Month street-pole banners prior to the West Hollywood City Council meeting. The event will take place in the City’s Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. south of Santa Monica. The new street-pole banners honor U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and transgender activist Connie Norman.
Following the reception and kick-off, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., the Women’s Advisory Board will host a panel discussion about women who write in the graphic novel genre. The discussion will feature panelists Janelle Asselin, Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, Barbara Randall Kesel, MOM and Yumi Sakugawa and will be moderated by Rosalind Helfand. It willl take place at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. Admission is free. To RSVP, call (323) 248-1210, or email womengraphicnovel@gmail.com.
— March 11, 7 p.m. The West Hollywood Women’s Leadership Conference & Network will host a mini film festival at City Council Chambers at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. This free event will offer a screening of the documentary film “Wilhemina’s War” to commemorate National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Jan Robinson Flint, executive director, Black Women for Wellness ,and panelists Traci Bivens-Davis, director of prevention, Common Ground – the Westside HIV Community Center; Gerald Garth, outreach coordinator and communications coordinator for Black AIDS Institute and Black Treatment Advocates Network Los Angeles, and Carolina Groppa, producer, “Autism in Love.” There also will be selected film shorts by local women directors, curated in conjunction with the Women Manifest initiative. To RSVP for the event, call (323) 848-6823 or sign up online.
Two month-long art exhibits celebrating Women’s History Month are presented by Women Manifest.
— March 15, 4 to 7 p.m. An artists’ reception for “Out & About” will take place at West Hollywood City Hall, 8300 Santa Monica Blvd. at Sweetzer. The exhibit will be on display from March 15 to April 15.
— March 16, 5 to 7 p.m. There will be a walk-through with the artists for “At the Core,” which will take place at the West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. The exhibit will be on display from through April 1. There will also be an artists’ reception on March 16 for At the Core from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Robert Kuo Showroom, 8686 Melrose Ave. near San Vicente. The reception will be concurrent with a one-night fine-art showcase pop-up exhibit, “Hear Me, “presented by Women Manifest from 6 to 8 p.m. To RSVP for At the Core or Hear Me, email info@brookemason.com.
— March 17, 7:30 p.m. The city’s Women’s Advisory Board and Hollywood NOW will honor lesbian activist and feminist Ivy Bottini with the 2016 Women’s History Award at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. A reception and call to action led by EndRapeSOL, the campaign to end the statute of limitations on rape in California, will take place immediately following the presentation. For more information, contact Reina Martinez at reinita425@gmail.com or RSVP online. http://on.fb.me/1o4q0ed.
— March 19, noon to 3:30 p.m. Pink Iron Gym, 1106 N. La Cienega Blvd., will host a “wellness” event o-sponsored by Women Manifest. It will feature classes and an inspirational talk by Holly Holton, the founder of Pink Iron Gym. To reserve a spot in the class, please call (310) 360-7465, or email info@pinkiron.com.
— March 23, 6 to 8 p.m. The city’s 21st annual Women in Leadership Awards ceremony and reception will take place at the Phyllis Morris Showroom, 665 N. Robertson Blvd, south of Santa Monica. The event is hosted by the city’s Women’s Advisory Board and the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The evening will honor the achievements of local women in the professional and commercial/industrial business community. This year’s honorees are Kay Buck, CEO, Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST); Sue Dunlap, CEO, Planned Parenthood, Los Angeles; Karen Ocamb, veteran LGBT journalist; Cathy J. Reback, Ph.D, senior research scientist, Friends Research Institute, and Maxine Tatlonghari, president and CEO, Vanity Girl Hollywood. Admission is $15 and RSVP is required. Call (323) 848-6823, or email WILrsvp@gmail.com to secure your reservation.
— March 26, 7 p.m. The City of West Hollywood and its Women’s Advisory Board and Women Manifest will present a night of dance performances at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve a free ticket, call (323) 645-0985 or email womenmanifest@gmail.com.
