WVU Libraries

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Wikipedia is calling on people around the world to celebrate Women’s History Month by participating in one of the many edit-a-thons planned throughout March.

Locally, West Virginia University Libraries, the WVU Art Museum and Arts Mon will co-host an Art + Feminism edit-a-thon on March 15 from 12:30-4:30 p.m. at the WVU Art Museum’s Great Hall.

“This is an exciting collaboration between these parties towards the shared goal of closing the gender gap on Wikipedia and raising awareness about women in art from our region,” said Kelly Doyle, WVU Libraries’ Wikipedian in Residence for Gender Equity.

Wikipedia has a well-documented gender gap – nearly 90 percent of the site’s volunteer editors are male – that has resulted in more content about men and male-related topics than about women and female-related topics.

The Art + Feminism edit-a-thon will focus on female artists on exhibit at the museum. Participants will have the opportunity to write about pieces on display and edit Wikipedia pages of female artists, painters, designers, and dancers.

Doyle will provide a brief tutorial on editing Wikipedia articles and help individuals create an account. Preregistration is not required, but people should bring a laptop. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be provided.

Over the past year, Doyle recruited volunteer editors at WVU to update 50 existing articles and write 20 new posts. A few examples include: Virginia B. Evans, a famous painter and art deco glass designer; Julia Keller, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer and former journalist; and Dr. Mildred Mitchell-Bateman, the first woman and African-American to serves as West Virginia’s mental health commissioner.

Join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtags #artandfeminism and #noweditingaf. For more information, contact Doyle at 304-293-0342 or kelly.doyle@mail.wvu.edu or visit the meetup page. Follow Doyle on Twitter, @WiR_at_WVU

-wvu-

mm/03/13/17