Celebrate Women’s History Month by watching Our Monologues, Berkeley High’s inclusive version of the Vagina Monologues; listening to a classical piano concert; learning about geology with your kids; engaging in the history of women musicians; and analyzing the women of impressionist art.
OUR MONOLOGUES It is crucial to find a safe space to tell our stories. While Berkeley High staged the Vagina Monologues for 19 years, in 2019 they decided to replace the play with a more inclusive rendition called Our Monologues. The evolved version includes stories that touch on topics like identity, trauma, sexuality, race and gender. The goal of Our Monologues is to foster conversations on difficult and often stigmatized topics. “The hope is to create a platform for a collection of stories gathered from our community that go untold,” they say. Come out and support talented students from Berkeley High. Livestream on Saturday, March 13 at 6 p.m.
WOMEN IN ART The canon of art history includes many white male artists whose subjects were often female. However, there is little discussion of the female artists of Impressionism like Berthe Morisot, the only woman who exhibited with the Impressionists, or Eva Gonzalez, Manet’s student who was also a successful and talented painter. You’ve also likely never heard that Victorine Meurant, the famous model, was also an artist. To learn more about these female artists’ legacy, join art history experts Andrew Lear and Edith de Belleville, who will lead a lecture over Zoom on the artists and muses of Impressionism. You’ll hear about the courage of these women who challenged the masters of Impressionism and patriarchal society itself. Join in and be empowered. Saturday, March 13, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. $12.
WOMEN IN SCIENCE In the male-dominated field of STEM, women have overcome tremendous barriers to pursue their careers. In “Women in STEM: S is for Science with Geologist Pinkie Young,” an event hosted by the Berkeley Public Library, you’ll meet scientist and educator Pinkie Young, who works for the Lawrence Hall of Science and Scientific Adventures for Girls. You’ll get to know more about geology, how she got interested in that field, and what she does as a scientist. She will even demonstrate a science experiment about growing your own crystals at home. Make sure to bring your questions on all things geology, science, and female empowerment. Ages 8-12. Saturday, March 13. 10:30-11:15 a.m.
UNSUNG WOMEN Want a fun history lesson on talented women in music? Check out “Unsung Women of Music,” an online course with Mark Montgomery French, hosted by Rhythmix Cultural Works. You can drop in anytime in this 6-week course. This week, the topic is Songwriters and Composers, and you’ll be learning more about artists like Rachel Portman, Allee Willis, Tamar-kali, and and more. Future weeks will cover R&B and Electronica, Blues, Gospel and Country, and Iconoclasts and Inventors. The course will offer an educational and entertaining experience. They say, Unsung Women of Music is a “humorous, highly immersive, and historically accurate course that reveals the awe-inspiring female song makers, beat-shakers, and dealmakers nudged to the margins of music history.” Tuesday, March 16. 7-9 p.m. $25 for a single class.
MITSUKO UCHIDA It is a captivating experience to see a master pianist like Mitsuko Uchida perform, even digitally. In this Cal Performances at Home concert, you’ll be able to watch the expert interpreter of composer Franz Schubert’s music perform at London’s Wigmore Hall. You’ll watch the musician play a range of transcendent, moving, dramatic, and turbulent pieces that will take you to another place. The website writes, “Any opportunity to experience the magisterial pianism of Mitsuko Uchida is a rare and special occasion.” Make sure to check out pre-show videos to get a preview of the concert. Premiere watch party is Thursday, March 18 at 7 p.m. Available on demand through June 16, 2021. Tickets start at $15.
