WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH in East London

1-31 March 2024

www.alternativearts.org.uk

Contemporary women artists, activists, writers and performers present a diverse programme of events and exhibitions celebrating women in galleries, venues, libraries and institutions across East London. Please make sure you can access them by checking with the projects directly.
Events taking place during International Women’s Week 2-10 March are included in this programme.

44 Copperfield Road E3 4RR Mile End tube, Limehouse DLR
http://www.acme.org.uk 020 8981 8811
London-based charity Acme has been supporting artists in necessitous circumstances for over 50 years. Over this time it has provided thousands of artists with affordable studios, work/live space and a programme of artist support through residencies and awards. Acme is the single largest provider of affordable artists studios in England, supporting over 800 individual artists across 15 buildings in Greater London each year.

Here is a selection of women artists who have chosen to be part of Women’s History Month Please visit their websites:

Joan Ashworth www.locatingsylviapankhurst.com & www.joanashworth.com
Liz Elton www.lizelton.com
Lucy Harris https://LucyHarris.net
Victoria Helena www.victoriahelena.com
Birgitta Hosea www.birgittahosea.co.uk
Rona Lee www.ronalee.org
Eleanor Moreton www.eleanormoreton.co.uk
Emily Richardson www.emilyrichardson.org.uk
Helen Robertson www.helenrobertson.net
RubbishArtiste www.instagram.com/rubbishartiste/
Amanda Whittle www.axisweb.org/amandawhittle/

The following artists are holding Open Studios for visitors:
Sun 24 March Acme Studios 44 Copperfield Road E3 4RR
Mile End tube/Limehouse DLR
Studio 8/1: EMILY RICHARDSON and LUCY HARRIS 2pm-4pm
www.emilyrichardson.org.uk lucyharris.net
Lucy Harris and Emily Richardson work across moving image, sound, photography, drawing and collage engaging with landscape, architecture and memory.
Studio 7, Floor 2: RONA LEE 2pm-5pm www.ronalee.org
Rona Lee is an artist researcher whose current practice encompasses collage, printmaking and video, working with found images as a sustainable means to explore the extractive underpinnings of contemporary environmental relations.
Studio 13, Floor 2: HELEN ROBERTSON 2pm-5pm www.helenrobertson.net
Through mixed media installations and performances Helen Robertson’s recent work explores relations across women, architecture and wider ecologies. This has included several films that respond to seminal architectural work in which women have played a significant but often unrecognised role.
Every Weekend in March 12noon-3pm
Acme Studios 15 Robinson Rd E2 9LX Bethnal Green tube.
RUBBISHARTISTE www.instagram.com/rubbishartiste/
RubbishArtiste will be making and selling magic mushrooms.
Visits by Appointment at Studio U, Acme Studios, Orsman Road N1 5RA
Hoxton Overground
VICTORIA HELENA www.victoriahelena.com info@victoriahelena.com 
Victoria Helena is a multinational artist from a Polish Catholic and working class background. Victoria currently has a studio in Hackney. Her vastly unique life experience informs her work rooted in the politics of labour, grief, neuropsychology, oppression, and the abuse of power.

Frances Bardsley Academy, Brentwood Road, Romford, Essex RM1 2RR Romford Stn.
www.fboak.co.uk 07708 463866
GEORGIA O’KEEFFE : Memories of Drawings
6-26 March Email lwalker@fbaok.co.uk for appointment to view. FREE
These drawings were produced by the artist between 1915-1963, reflecting the period in which O’Keeffe established herself as a major figure in American Modernism. Her iconic works of organic forms, including flowers and bones, surreal abstractions, rural landscapes, and urban cityscapes uniquely captured the experience of her environment and broke new ground for women artists. Although best known as a painter, drawing was central to O’Keeffe’s practice. These works display her distinctive style. Photogravure is a printmaking process that produces etchings with the same detail of a photograph through exposure on to a copper plate. This is a Hayward Gallery Touring Exhibition from the Southbank Centre.

7 Botanic Square, Leamouth Peninsula E14 0LG Canning Town tube/East India DLR
www.arebyte.com 020 4503 2205
HOMAGE TO QUAN ÂM : Maria Than
28 March – 18 May FREE
Maria’s exhibition explores different cultural terrains through transmedia artworks. Different elements of identity and childhood memories create a captivating world that offers a fresh journey for audiences.

Rivington Place EC2A 3BA Shoreditch High Street Overground
https://autograph.org.uk 020 7729 9200
MONICA ALCAREZ-DUARTE: Digital Clouds Don’t Carry Rain
Until 1 June
Wed-Fri 11am-6pm, Thurs 11am-9pm, Sat 12.30pm-6.30pm. FREE
Affirming the value of her ancestors’ indigenous knowledge, Mexican-British artist Monica Alcarez-Duarte examines western society’s obsession with speed, expansion and resource accumulation at a time when ecological disaster looms. She raises the ethical questions – Where does knowledge lie? Who and what is classified? – joining together the threads of dissociated knowledge systems.

Silk Street EC2Y 8DS Barbican/Moorgate tube www.barbican.org.uk 020 7870 2500
Barbican Art Gallery
UNRAVEL: THE POWER AND POLITICS OF TEXTILES IN ART
Until 26 May
Sat-Wed 10am-6pm, Thurs & Fri 10am-8pm. Tkts 020 7870 2500
This exhibition shines a light on artists from the 1960s to today who have explored the transformative and subversive potential of textiles, harnessing the medium to ask charged questions about power, who holds it, and how can it be challenged and reclaimed? With over 100 artworks by 50 international practitioners including Faith Ringgold, Tracey Emin, Cecilia Vicuna, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Judy Chicago, Louise Bourgeois, Sheila Hicks, Violeta Parra, Hannah Ryggen, Angela Su.

Barbican Cinema
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH FILM FESTIVAL
14-22 March at the Barbican Centre & Rich Mix https://ff.hrw.org/london
Screenings at the Barbican Centre:
Thurs 14 March 6pm MEDIHA
Sat 16 March 6pm A REVOLUTION ON CANVAS
Wed 20 March 6.15pm AFTER THE FIRE
Fri 22 March 6.15pm SUMMER QAMP

230 Bishopsgate, Spitalfields EC2M 4QH Liverpool Street tube/rail
www.bishopsgate.org.uk 020 7392 9200
ARCHIVE TOUR Feminist & Women’s History
Wed 6 March 6.30pm-8pm Book Tkts £11/£5concs
Join Colleen Goldspink, Library & Digital Archives Manager, to hear about feminist activists and organisations on a tour of the Women’s and Feminists History Collection. Learn the story of the suffragette who was so excited by the cause she bought the WSPU tea set twice, the remarkable woman who put up Gandhi in the East End, Britain’s first ever female firefighter, and the Berwickshire Granarchists.
SWING PATROL’S Meet Our Scene
Sat 16 March 7pm-1am 18+ Tkts £23/£20 in advance/£26 on door
Swing Patrol loves to get all their dancers together in one place and if you have not been out social dancing yet, this is the perfect time to get started. It is a wonderful night out for the Swing Patrol community with both live music and vintage sounds from DJs. There will be a taster class at the start of the night, so you can learn some moves for the dance floor, plus dancing until 1am.

Celebrate International Women’s Day
St Mathias Hall, Wordsworth Rd N16 8DD Dalston Kingsland Overground
SEA CHANGE + JAN ALLAIN
Fri 8 March. Doors 7.30pm, Music 8.30pm, Bar.
Book Tkts www.blowthefuse.com
Join Sea Change for an uplifting of Latin, Bossa Nova, Afro-Cuban and Rock grooves. Plus Jan Allain in a rare UK live appearance promising a dive through blues, jazz and country ballads with trusty guitar, wild harmonica, rich vocals and humour. Musical collaboration with Deirdre Cartwright – guitar, Diane McLoughlin – sax, Alison Rayner – bass, Jessica Palin – congas / percussion.

192-196 Hanbury Street E1 5HU Whitechapel/Aldgate East tube
www.towerhamlets.org.uk 020 7364 7000
WOMEN’S SPRING OPEN EXHIBITION
8-28 March Mon-Fri 9am-7pm Sat 10am-4pm FREE
Mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, wives and aunties! This exhibition is a celebration of the talent and creativity of women of all ages who live, work or study in Tower Hamlets. The Brady Arts Centre showcases a range of skills as part of Women’s History Month and takes pride in the diverse output from across the generations. This includes visual and applied arts.
A TEAM ARTS EDUCATION Mothers, Daughters, and Sons Workshop
Sat 16 March, 11am-4pm FREE
Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Aunts, Sisters, Nieces and Nephews are invited to explore the theme ‘Inspire’ and make artworks that will form part of an exciting project by sharing and learning traditional craft skills, creating a positive sense of community and belonging through visual storytelling. Participants may bring along fabric or samples they are working on. Your artwork can be left or taken away.

Please register in advance with Sarbjit Natt as places are limited.
Email ateamartseducation@gmail.com 07956 377537

www.hidden-histories.org 020 8553 3116
Celebrating Women’s History Month with two heritage walks in Newham based on oral histories from our community archive (collected over the past 25 years).
WOMEN’S HERITAGE TRAIL 1: Forest Gate to Barking Road
Sat 16 March. Meet at 11am. Walk one and a half hours. FREE
Meeting Point: Outside Forest Gate Station E7 0NF
Final Stop: Newham Bookshop, 743-745 Barking Road E13 9ER
Listen to the oral histories from some of the women who have lived and worked in the borough of Newham, as part of this guided tour. Our final stop, at Newham Bookshop, offers us an opportunity to go inside and have some refreshments, and explore the digital archive in more detail.
WOMEN’S HISTORY TRAIL 2: Stratford to SubCo
Wed 27 March. Meet at 11.30am. Walk one and a half hours. FREE
Meeting Point: Outside Old Town Hall, 29 The Broadway E15 4BQ Nearest tube – Stratford
Final Stop: SubCo Trust, 49 Plashet Road E13 0QA
Listen to the oral histories from some of the women who have lived and worked in the borough of Newham, as part of this guided tour. Our final stop at the SubCo Trust, is an important site for Women’s History in Newham and offers us the opportunity to go inside, have some refreshments and explore the digital archive in more detail.

234 Brick Lane E2 7EB Shoreditch High Street Overground
www.eastendprints.co.uk 020 7241 1118
1-31 March. Open Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
Featuring empowering quotes, inspiring feminist icons and gorgeous typography our WHM collection is all about celebrating our growing collection of female artists and their contributions to East End Prints. View our collection and bring some female fire to your home.

www.eastendwomensmuseum.org
A public history project recording, sharing and celebrating women’s stories and voices from East London history and the present day. We are working towards opening in a permanent home in Barking but in the meantime we are a ‘kitchen table’ museum who also put on events, exhibitions and make resources available for women’s groups, schools and colleges to use.
INSPIRING COCKNEY WOMEN Panel discussion and exhibition
The Hickman Building, Four Agency, 2 Whitechapel Road E1 1BW Aldgate East tube
www.tickettailor.com/events/cockneycultures/1171015
Tuesday 5 March 5:30pm Free
Celebration of inspiring cockney women including Matchgirls strikers, the first woman boxer in Victorian England, the women heroes of the Bethnal Green tube disaster, the creator of the ‘Farthing Bundles’, and women munition workers. The free event also features an exhibition and artefacts of the Matchgirls Strike.
Speakers at the event include Kim Bennett, the Pearly Queen of Woolwich; Samantha Johnson, great granddaughter of Sarah Chapman & Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Matchgirls Memorial; Becky Laxton-Bass, Director of Women of London; Katie Russell of the East End Women’s Museum and Sandra Scotting MBE, Chair of the Bethnal Green Memorial Fund. Chaired by Marcia La-Rose, Head of HR at Four Agency who are kindly supporting the event.

Sojourner Truth Centre, 161 Sumner Road SE15 6JL
Peckham Rye/ Queens Road overground
www.feministlibrary.co.uk 020 7261 0879
Open Wed 11am-5pm, Sat 1pm-4pm (Bookshop)
The Feminist Library is a large archive collection of feminist literature, particularly Women’s Liberation Movement materials from the late 1960s to the 1990s. We support research, activist and community projects. The Library is run by volunteers and does not require registration or membership. Search our online catalogue, explore our collection and find out more about our activities and events.
EVENTS IN MARCH
GOBJAW POETRY WORKSHOP
Tues 5 March 7pm-9pm
A free workshop from Gobjaw Poetry Collective. Open to all abilities.
BLACK FEMINIST READING GROUP: Living by the Word
Wed 6 March 6:30pm-8:30pm
This month we are reading Living By The Word by Alice Walker. Please sign up to take part here. (This event was originally scheduled for February and has been rescheduled)
KILLJOY SOLIDARITY with Sara Ahmed and Akanksha Mehta
Fri 8 March 4pm-6pm
Join us on IWD to express killjoy solidarity, the solidarity we need to face what we come up against! This informal discussion, led by feminist of colour scholar-activists Sara Ahmed and Akanksha Mehta, marks the moment of the paperback release of The Feminist Killjoy Handbook. We hope to create a space for shared reflection on how we survive and transform institutions, finding each other in the midst of many violences. We will keep in mind Chicana-Palestinian feminist Sarah Ihmoud’s vital question, “What does it mean to practice feminism in a moment of bearing witness to genocide?” Sara Ahmed (she/her) is a queer feminist scholar of colour, writing about feminist killjoys for some time. Akanksha Mehta (she/her) is a queer feminist educator, researcher and writer from India, living in SE London.
RESONANCE POETRY: radical silliness
Wed 13 March 6pm-8pm
At this month's Resonance Poetry workshop we'll be talking, writing, thinking and celebrating nonsense by embracing radical silliness and play! Free to attend and open to all abilities!
BOOK LAUNCH: Illustration, Narrative and The Suffragette: An Illustrative Enquiry, Mireille Fauchon
Fri 15 March 6:30pm-8:30pm
Through an investigation of the Holloway prison writings of the suffragette Katie Gliddon, Mireille Fauchon explores illustration as a social research tool and creates within this book a model of practice-based enquiry. Illustrative methods and expressive literary forms – collage, mixed media, print and ficto-critical writing are used to illuminate the characteristics of the subject matter. Drawing on archival study, anecdotal experience, practical research methods and narrative enquiry, this book brings together themes of feminism, materiality and social history. Tickets: www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on
SPANISH BOOK CLUB: Wassyla Tamzali & Magrebi Feminism
Wed 27 March 7pm-8:30pm at the Barbican Centre
Este mes nos reuniremos para hablar sobre feminismo argelino y del Magreb. Comentaremos el libro Carta de una mujer indignada. Desde el Magreb a Europa de la argelina Wassyla Tamzali, y también episodios del podcast La guardia mora.
El encuentro será en la cafetería del Barbican Centre (planta baja).
Si te apetece unirte, puedes confirmar tu asistencia mandando un correo a spanishbookclubfl@gmail.com y te informaremos de los detalles.
This month we will meet to talk about feminism in Argelia and the Magreb region. We will discuss the book Carta de una mujer indignada. Desde el Magreb a Europa, written by Wassyla Tamzali, and episodes from the podcast La guardia mora.
The meeting will be held in the cafeteria of the Barbican centre (ground floor).

www.5050Parliament.co.uk
50:50 Parliament is a charity working to build a better democracy. We are a friendly network here to help more women progress in politics at a local and national level, and run an inclusive, intersectional, campaign working with all the political parties to empower women with our #AskHerToStand and #SignUpToStand programmes. We invite everyone to support our work and join our mailing list via our website.

https://howl-uk.org
Hackney Libraries are hosting two events with the HACKNEY HOWLers in celebration of Women’s History Month.
1) STOKE NEWINGTON LIBRARY, 184 Church St N16 0UL Stoke Newington Stn
Tues 5 March, 6pm-7.30pm FREE
2) HACKNEY CENTRAL LIBRARY, 1 Reading Lane E8 1GQ Hackney Central Stn
Thurs 14 March, 6pm-7.30pm FREE
Members of the HACKNEY HOWLers writing group will read and discuss extracts from their book, which contains the reflections of fourteen older Hackney Women, looking back on the early days of the Women’s Liberation Movement and showing that our feminist activism is still relevant today. (Our experiences include escaping abusive relationships, driving a bus, working with young women and girls, starting the first UK Black lesbian support group, campaigning against gender stereotypes, feminist publishing, starting a lesbian helpline, adopting children and so much more.)
The HACKNEY HOWLers writing group is part of the national HOWL (History Of Women’s Liberation) project gathering material from women across the UK to record women’s memories and the history of grass roots feminism before it is too late. Feminists of all generations will find much in their book to inform, amuse, and gain inspiration.

1 Reading Lane E8 1GQ Hackney Central Overground
https://hackney-museum.hackney.gov.uk
AT HOME IN HACKNEY: A Community Photographed 1970 – Today
Until 23 March. Tues,Wed,Fri 9.30am-5.30pm, Thurs 9.30am-8pm, Sat 10am-5pm FREE
From 1970s activism to the current party scene, the exhibition displays five decades of Hackney life through a camera lens. Featuring work from established & emerging photographers connected with Hackney including Sarah Ainslie, Heather McDonough, Rachel Whiteread, Donna Travis, The Hackney Flashers, and contemporary youth voices Lauren Briggs-Lockwood, Ketsia Kutukana, Juliette Nivelle and Connie Swift. The images provide a fascinating insight into the celebrations, disruptions, and everyday lives of the borough and its people.

Co-curated by Sue Andrews and Tom Hunter of the East London Photography Collective

https://ff.hrw.org/london
14-22 March at the Barbican Centre and Rich Mix
The 28th Human Rights Watch Film Festival presents ten films highlighting the best human rights storytelling, including a strong line-up of international documentaries and feature films from Iraq, Jordan and Brazil featuring women activists and protagonists. Audience members can take part in Q&As with filmmakers, film participants and human rights advocates after each screening.
BARBICAN CENTRE Silk Street EC2Y 8DS Barbican/Moorgate tube
Thurs 14 March 8.30pm MEDIHA
Sat 16 March 6pm A REVOLUTION ON CANVAS
Wed 20 March 8.30pm AFTER THE FIRE
Fri 22 March 6.15pm SUMMER QAMP
RICH MIX 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch E1 6LA
Shoreditch High St overground
Fri 15 March 8.30pm WE ARE GUARDIANS
Sun 17 March 3pm LAND OF MY DREAMS
                        6pm COCONUT HEAD GENERATION
Mon 18 March 6.15pm INSHALLAH A BOY
Tues 19 March 6.15pm POWER ALLEY
Thurs 21 March 8.30pm TREE OF VIOLENCE

Friday 8 March 2024
Theme: # Inspire Inclusion www.internationalwomensday.com
International Women’s Day is a global event celebrated annually on 8 March as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. IWD gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights and violence and abuse against women and girls. Imagine a gender equal world. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #Inspire Inclusion.

Artist Gillian Lawrence is exhibiting her work in accessible places around E11, E10, & E7 07762 178941
THE ROCKWOOD VILLAGE 314 Cann Hall Road E11 3NW Forest Gate Stn
1-31 March 12noon-1pm Closed Mondays FREE
May Morris meets Mrs Sykes Acrylic on canvas painting in a William Morris inspired pub depicting the imagined meeting between an embroidery expert and women’s rights activist and merchant’s wife immersed in imported textiles.
LEYTON GREEN GALLERY Market Parade, 778 High Road E!0 6AE Walthamstow tube
1-31 March 10am-4pm daily FREE
Ragworks Textile art depicting researched women all created by hand using recycled textiles.
THE PAVEMENT outside 123 Vansittart Road Leytonstone E7 0AA
Leyton & Wanstead tube
1-20 March daylight hours FREE
Doing It Their Way Twelve groundbreaking singer songwriters celebrated in acrylic on canvas including Lizzo, Neech and Josephine.
21-31 March Daylight hours FREE
Mrs Sykes’ Diary Textile art adaption of Mrs Sykes Diary. The Victorian socialite and rich merchant’s wife who set up sewing classes for poor girls and kept a fashion diary from 1838.
MARY

Newington Green N16 9PR Canonbury overground
The controversial statue of Mary Wollstonecraft (the mother of feminism) stands in the middle of the green attracting many visitors.
WOLLSTONECRAFT WALKS APP www.wollstonecraftwalks.netlify.app
Follow in the footsteps of Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) champion of girls education, with this App presented by Fragments & Monuments Performance & Film Company and Scary Little Girls performance Hub.

Southern Grove Community Centre, Southern Grove E3 4FX Mile End tube
Celebrating Women’s History Month
Sat 2 March 10am–3pm FREE Women Only
Event for women and children to celebrate their wellbeing and their community with drama, poetry, an open mic, a raffle, games, henna and face painting.

136 Kingsland Road E2 8EA Hoxton overground
www.museumofthehome.org.uk 020 7739 9893
BOBBY BAKER: An Illustrated Reflection
Wed 20 March, 6pm-8pm FREE but Ticketed
Bobby Baker’s (b.1950 Kent) acclaimed intersectional feminist practice spans five decades and includes performance, drawing and installation to persistently expose the undervalued and stigmatised aspects of women’s daily lives, exemplified by pioneering works such as Drawing on a Mother’s Experience (1988) and Kitchen Show (1991).
For her talk at Museum of the Home, Bobby will reflect on her long career to date and her unique approach to making art. Her talk will cover pivotal artworks and moments in her early career that laid the foundations for a practice celebrating everyday life and human behaviour, right up to the restaging of her critically important 1976 sculptural installation An Edible Family in a Mobile Home, currently on show as part of Tate Britain’s exhibition Women in Revolt!
This event is the Annual Lecture of the Centre for Studies of Home, a partnership between Queen Mary University of London and Museum of the Home.

1 West India Quay, Hertsmere Road E14 4AL
www.museumoflondondocklands.org.uk 020 7001 9844
FASHION CITY: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style
Until 14 April Mon-Sun 10am-5pm
Step inside a traditional tailor’s workshop in the East End and immerse yourself in the glitz and glamour of a Carnaby Street boutique at the height of the Swinging Sixties – when London was the world’s fashion capital.
AN EVENING WITH MR FISH
Tues 5 March 6.30pm-8.30pm Adults £12.50/£8 concs
An evening bringing together fashion, music, and conversation to celebrate Mr Fish designs.
IN FOCUS: RAHVIS GOWNS
Sat 9 March 2pm-3pm Adults £10/£8 concs
Lucie Whitmore takes a closer look at some of the more colourful characters of British Couture, sisters Kaemonde and Dora Rahvis best known for their feminine and highly decorative designs and the occasional attention-seeking gimmick.
MAKING THE WEST END A FASHION DESTINATION
Sat 9 March 2pm-3pm Adults £10/£8concs
Join us to learn more about the stories of Jewish designers, makers and retailers who made London’s West End a fashion destination. From the glitz and glamour of Carnaby Street boutiques to the sophisticated styles of couturiers who dress the rich and famous and funded retail chains still in today’s high street.

Derbyshire Street E2 6HG Bethnal Green tube
www.oxfordhouse.org.uk 020 7739 9001
Film Screening: ROCKS
Wed 6 March 6.45pm Adults £4/ Under 18s Free
A special screening in our atmospheric chapel of the award-winning film Rocks (2019). Filmed in East London and featuring an extraordinary cast of young actors, the story follows the journey of a determined teenage girl and explores the joy, resilience and spirit of girlhood. Director Sarah Gavron Certificate 12A
OXFORD HOUSE WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH POP-UP
Thurs 21 March 12noon FREE
Drop in to our Café for an informal session with our Heritage Team. We’ll be showcasing treasures from our archive and leading snappy talks about women’s history at Oxford House.

2 Cotall Street, Poplar, E14 6TL West Ferry DLR
www.poplarunion.com 020 3039 3333
NOT JUST BROWN, NOT JUST INDIAN Photography by Mathushaa Sagthidas
Until 28 April Mon-Sat 9am-10pm FREE
Mathushaa Sagthidas explores her Tamil Eelam ethnicity and British Nationality through traditions, history and photography. She examines important aspects due to her parents’ upbringing and experiences during the Sri Lankan civil war, taking place from 1983 to the present day.
FASTING and SLOWING CONSUMPTION THIS RAMADAN Clothes Swap & Panel
Sat 9 March 1pm-4pm Tkts £3 panel/ £8 panel and clothes swap
Join Ahitsa Stories and Muslim Women Connect for a pre-Ramadan celebration of slow fashion and consumption. Bring your pre-loved clothing to swap for something fresh and hear a range of Muslim women activists speak about resisting consumption and waste.
CREATE and MAKE IN SOUND Guided creative sessions with soundscapes and meditation.
Sat 16 March 1pm-2.30pm 18+ only £10-£15
Sat 23 March 1pm-2.30pm Family Friendly £10-£15
Collaborative sessions where art and sound come together for an enriching, creative experience. Guided by Rowha Mohid and Heather Ryall, together we’ll embark on a journey of mindfulness and expression.
FLAMENCO & DANCE WORKSHOP
Every Tuesday except last Tuesday of the month
6pm Happy Hour, Drinks and Spanish Music
7pm Flamenco Wellness Dance Workshop with Yumi La Blanca
8pm Open Mic for any Spanish related performances
LIVE FLAMENCO SHOW
Last Tuesday of each month (26 March)
6pm Happy Hour with drinks and music
7pm Live Flamenco performance with Maria de Huelva &Yumi La Blanca
GATHER TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE CREATIVITY AND WOMEN
Fri 29 March 6.30pm FREE Donations welcome
Event to nourish and showcase talents from the local community with a focus on women. Anyone who wants to share music, poetry, theatre, art, prose, dance – please arrive at 6.30pm. Anyone who wants to support please arrive at 7.30pm.

www.pursuedbyabear.co.uk
NOTHING ON EARTH: New Films and a Book
Pursued by a Bear invites you to share their continuing celebration of remarkable women through two new short films and a book.
In March 2023 the company produced the world premiere tour of Anna Reynolds’ Nothing on Earth, a play full of the stories of heroines from Hertfordshire and beyond. Hugely enjoyed by audiences on tour at Chats Palace in Hackney, the new films – Women on Courage and Our Women of Courage, and book provide opportunities for more people to discover characters such as Edwardian balloonist Dolly Shepherd, adventurer Olivia Violet Cressy-Marks and suffragette Constance Lytton. Artists include Anna Reynolds, Rosamund Hutt and Helen Chadwick.

The films are free to watch at www.uharts.co.uk/whats-on/2023/nothing-on-earth-women-of-courage. The play text is published by Aurora Metro Press and is available from info@pursuedbyabear.co.uk

46-50 Copperfield Road E3 4RR Mile End tube. Limehouse DLR
https://raggedschoolmuseum.org 020 8980 6405
GRAND UNION ORCHESTRA Family Workshop
Sat 23 March 1.30pm-4.30pm FREE
Join Grand Union Orchestra Musicians on a journey into music from Bangladesh, Africa, the Caribbean, and the East End. Learn about their instruments, sing their songs, discover how their music travelled to London from across the world. No skills or experience necessary. Bring an instrument if you can play one or a song from your childhood.

35-47 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch E1 6LA Shoreditch High St overground
www.richmix.org.uk 020 7846 7045
ARAB WOMEN ARTISTS NOW FESTIVAL
1-31 March Tkts boxoffice@richmix.org.uk 020 7619 7498
AWAN presented by Arts Canteen is the UK’s only exclusively Arab female-led festival showcasing Arab female talent from both the UK and diaspora featuring music, spoken word, visual arts, theatre, literature, talks, performance, comedy, commissions and workshops.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH FILM FESTIVAL
14–22 March at the Rich Mix and Barbican Centre https://ff.hrw.org/london
The Festival presents films highlighting the best in human rights storytelling. Audience members can take part in Q&As after screenings.
Screenings at Rich Mix:-
Fri 15 March 8.30pm WE ARE GUARDIANS
Sun 17 March 3pm LAND OF MY DREAMS
                        6pm COCONUT HEAD GENERATION
Mon 18 March 6.15pm INSHALLAH A BOY
Tues 19 March 6.15pm POWER ALLEY
Thurs 21 March 6.15pm TREE OF VIOLENCE

Bethnal Green tube www.Afribeana.com
EXHIBITION AFRIBEANAFEST
Sat 2 March 12noon-5pm FREE
More than just a market/mini food festival, it’s a celebration of culture, community and creativity showcasing the best small and large black owned businesses.

Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory, The Queen’s House SE10 9HT Cutty Sark DLR
www.rmg.co.uk 020 8858 4422
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WITH COMMON GROUND
Fri 8 March 11am-4pm ages 15+ FREE
Visit the Queen’s House to take part in activities relating to this year’s IWD theme: Inspiring Inclusion. Influenced by the new display at the National Maritime Museum, Pioneers : A Renaissance in South Asian Creativity as well as new artwork going on display in the Queen’s House, the day will look back at pioneering South Asian women and reclaiming the creative feminine.
EVENING OF ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY National Maritime Museum
Fri 8 March 6pm-8pm ages 11+ Adults £12/£8.50 concs
An after-hours panel discussion on IWD highlighting and celebrating the work of women in astrophotography, from pioneers like Annie Maunder to the modern day. Guests include judges and astrophotographers from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
Following the discussion ticket holders will be able to view the exhibition of shortlisted and winning photographs.
WOMEN OF THE RNLI TOUR
National Maritime Museum, Special Exhibitions Gallery
Fri 22 March 2pm-3pm £10/ £7/£5 on a pay what you can basis.
Join the curators of the National maritime Museum on a tour of this new exhibition celebrating the bicentenary of the RNLI and the vital role women have, and always had, in saving lives at sea.

380 Old Street EC1V 9LT Old Street tube
https://shoreditchtownhall.com/ 020 77396176
WOW – WOMEN OF THE WORLD: One Night Live in London
Friday 8 March 7:30pm
Tickets: £22, £16.50 concs
Jude Kelly, Elif Shafak, Liv Little, Jordan Stephens, Annabelle Hirsch, Anita Rani, Martha Wainwright, Salena Godden
Women of the World presents an evening filled with optimism, determination and laughter to celebrate International Women's Day, led by WOW'S founder Jude Kelly.
https://shoreditchtownhall.com/whats-on/wow-one-night-live-in-london
AZADI NETWORK: On Our Own Terms
Saturday 9 March 5pm
Tickets: Band A £30, Band B £25, Band C £20
Baroness Kennedy KC, Jude Kelly CBE, Madeleine Rees, Negin Shiraghaei, Horia Mosadiq, Elaha Soroor, Niaz Nawab
Join women leaders, artists and activists for an evening of resistance through art, storytelling and conversation dedicated to empowering voices.
https://shoreditchtownhall.com/whats-on/azadi-network-on-our-own-terms
ARG and SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL: The Friday Night Show
Friday 22 March 7pm
Tickets: £20
Lou Sanders, Suzi Ruffell, Sophie Duker, Kemah Bob, Sofie Hagen
Following the last two sell-out shows, ARG and Shoreditch Town Hall are thrilled to present the latest edition of their spectacular, star-studded showcase of comedians at the top
of their game.
https://shoreditchtownhall.com/whats-on/arg-and-shoreditch-town-hall-the-friday-night-show-2024

21 Old Ford Road E2 9PL Bethnal green tube
www.stmargaretshouse.org.uk 020 8980 2092
MAD WOMEN
Sun 17 March 3pm Tkts £10/£5
Feminist, Witty, Fearless…..a play inspired by three outstanding female Latin American artists who struggled with their mental health. Mad Women is a fictional portrayal of their hectic mental journeys through bipolar disorder. Written by acclaimed Latin American playwright Constanza Hola Chamy.

27 Aberfeldy Street, E14 0NU East India DLR
http://thepeoplespeak.org.uk 020 3417 8586
TALKAOKE – WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL
Wed 27 March 5pm-7pm FREE
Talkaoke is an interactive talk show where you decide on the topics for discussion. Just grab the mic and have your say! The People Speak is an East London Arts Collective.

The idea Stores and Libraries will display books by women writers and books themed around Women’s History Month. There will also be some special events.

CUBITT TOWN LIBRARY
Strattondale Street, E14 3HG Crossharbour DLR
www.ideastore.co.uk 020 7897 3152
WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE
Thurs 14 March 11.15am-12.45pm FREE
Geoff Cosson looks at how women in East London played a part in the fight for the right to vote. It was not until 1928 that all women gained the same voting rights as men.

IDEA STORE BOW
1 Gladstone Place E3 5GT Bow Road tube
www.ideastore.co.uk
CHILD MIGRANT VOICES OF EAST LONDON 1930s – Present Day
Sat 9 March 2pm-3.30pm FREE
EITHNE NIGHTINGALE introduces her book about the experiences of children who came to East London from girls, aged under 18, who followed their parents to the UK from Jamaica, Somalia, Bangladesh, Turkey and the Yemen, to those who came on their own to escape forced marriage or FGM. Listen to readings and watch short films made by those who contributed to the book. Followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A. Chaired by Rayah Feldman, co-founder of Hackney Migrant Centre.
There will also be an opportunity to buy the book signed by the author

IDEA STORE WHITECHAPEL
321 Whitechapel Road E1 1BU Whitechapel tube
www.ideastore.co.uk
Dr ALIM: A MARTYR OF 1971
Sat 2 March 2pm-3.30pm FREE
NSKalive presents a reading of the book Dr Alim: A Martyr of 1971 by Shyamali Nasreen Chaudhury (the author will be present via Zoom from Bangladesh) who has been on a quest to bring the killer of her husband to justice. The book paints an intimate portrait of a caring husband and father and a committed activist who played a prominent role in the struggle for Bangladesh’s independence. The narrative chronicles his abduction and death at the hands of Al Badr militants on 15 December 1971. This tragedy is heightened by the fact that it was orchestrated by a person to whom they had already given shelter.
Followed by a Q&A session.

TOWER HAMLETS LOCAL HISTORY LIBRARY & ARCHIVES

277 Bancroft Road E1 4DQ Stepney Green/Mile End tube
www.ideastore.co.uk/localhistory 020 7364 1290
HYENAS IN PETTICOATS
Sat 2 March 2pm-4pm Doors 1.30pm FREE
With Katy McGahan, Mizgin Mujde Arslan, Kirsty Edginton, Catherine Phillips, Madeline Hartley Salim, Lydia Julien, Noemi Menendez, Lili Ly, Angela Byrne, Carol Gyasi, Susan Croft.
A screening of short films made by participants of Hyenas in Petticoats women’s radical filmmaking course led by Kathy McGahan and Mizgin Mujde Arslan at Newington Green Meeting House in 2023. These short documentary films cover a range of topics including environmental activism, gentrification, concepts of home, women’s relationships with the city, love and loss.
EAST END HISTORY CLUB: Women’s Revolt!
Sat 16 March, 11am-1pm FREE
In partnership with The Women’s Library at LSE we will be exploring how women in the East End resisted and fought for their liberation. Whether it was for voting rights, better living conditions, equal pay or better health and family care, you will have the opportunity to
look through material from both our collections. There will also be a badge-making activity for those who feel inspired to mark their own mini protest!
BRICK LANE 1978: the turning point
Until 16 March. Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Thurs to 7pm, (closed 1pm-2pm on Mon & Fri) 1st & 3rd Sat of the month 10am-5pm FREE
An exhibition of unique photographs by Paul Trevor documenting the East End’s Anti Racist uprising, accompanied by first person testimonies and archival displays, originally produced by Four Corners and the Swadhinata Trust – chair Julie Begum, and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Wellington Way Health Centre, 1A wellington Way E3 4NE
Bow Road tube www.trappedinzoneone.com 07870590402
MOVE and STRETCH
Wed 6 March 10am-12noon FREE
Free weekly fitness session for women, offering a combination of Pilates and stretching to improve the health and wellbeing in an in-person group-based activity.

77-82 Whitechapel High Street E1 7QX Aldgate East tube
www.whitechapelgallery.org 020 7522 7888
ZINEB SEDIRA: Dreams Have No Titles
Until 12 May Tues-Sun 11am-6pm Thurs 11am-9pm £12.50/£9.50 concs
Galleries 1,2,8 and 9
Zineb Sedira is a French-Algerian artist. She was born in France, and lives and works in London. The exhibition addresses a pivotal movement in the history of cultural, intellectual and avant-garde filmmaking during the 1960s and 70s – particularly across France, Italy and Algeria. This fertile period was especially important for pursuing filmmaking as a vehicle for collaborative practice, and as an instrument to express solidarity with liberation struggles and promote social change. Instillations inspired by scenes from co-productions provide a stage for the artist to tell her own histories of decolonisation and displacement, solidarity, freedom and hope.

Amnesty international UK, 25 New Inn Yard EC2A 3EA Shoreditch High St overground
www.wen.org.uk
WEN CONFERENCE
When is Gender, Racial & Social Equity Key to Addressing the Climate Crisis?
Thurs 7 March 6pm-9pm
Book tkts at tickettailor.com/events/ womensenvironmentalnetwork/1120593
Come and celebrate International Women’s Day with an evening of good food ,stalls, and a Panel Discussion. Speakers include Lola Fayokun, Dr Amiera Sawas, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, Nina Jeffs, Ndivile Mokoena, Roshini Thamotheram, Monique Johnson.

10 Portugal Street, WC2A 2AD Holborn/Temple tube
www.lse.ac.uk/library/events
LSE LIBRARY LATE (Holborn) Celebrating the Women’s Library
Thurs 7 March 6pm-9pm FREE
Come and find out about how we collect, digitise, catalogue and how you can use the collection to inspire your own research, art and other activities. There will be archives on display in the Reading Room, behind the scene tour of the vault, and of the digitisation suite, drop-in art activity, refreshments an opportunity to meet our partner organisations and other feminist libraries and archives.
DR JILL LIDDINGTON – Talk & Bookstall
LSE Cheng Kin Ku Building, 54 Lincoln Inn Fields, Holborn
Wed 20 March 6pm-8pm FREE
Was Anne Lister a pioneer feminist or nothing but an old Tory squire? These were Virginia Wolf’s words about Vita Sackville-West. Yet were they similarly appropriate for Anne Lister of Shibden Hall 1791-1840? Join us for this talk by Jill Liddington on her latest book As Good As A Marriage: The Anne Lister Diaries 1836-38, the sequel to Female Fortune, the book that inspired the TV series Gentleman Jack. Followed by Q&A and a bookstall.

ONLINE at www.womensvoicesnow.org
25 March – 30 April Tkts for sale – waivers on request
A Women’s Rights documentary film festival for emerging filmmakers featuring films from around the globe, available online and on-demand. The festival presents $13,000 in cash prizes, a live Awards Ceremony, and opportunities for filmmakers to network and further develop their careers.

201 Millfields Road E5 5AL
www.worldwrite.org.uk 020 89855436
Consult the website to discover a wide range of videos including a remarkable documentary charting the life, vital impact and work of Sylvia Pankhurst, East End heroine, suffragette, internationalist and revolutionary. The film is packed with facts from primary sources, interviews with historians and compelling testimony from Sylvia’s son Richard and his wife Rita.

St Katherines Precinct, 2 Butchers Row E14 8DS Limehouse DLR
https://yurtcafe.london 020 7791 9871
BRADY LADIES – What makes me happy
1-31 March Café Open 9am-4pm
A diverse group of East End women artists who have been making art at the Brady Arts Centre for the past few years where they have found the supportive atmosphere invaluable.
Each artist exhibits a small group of paintings representing what makes them happy, the emphasis being on wellbeing.

“When the world becomes a massive mess with nobody at the helm it’s time for artists to make their mark” Joni Mitchell

4-10 MARCH www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/sports or pauline.stewart@towerhamlets.gov.uk 020 7364 2433 / 07956456743
In celebration of International Women’s Week there will be sports and physical activities for women and girls across the borough. You can book in advance or just turn up.

BOW COMMUNITY HUB
Jefferson Plaza E3 3QE Bromley by Bow tube
Wed 6 March
6.30pm-7.30pm Self Defence/Boxercise 18+ FREE

BERNIE CAMERON COMMUNITY CENTRE
32 Merchant Street E3 4LX Mile End tube
Mon 4 March
4pm-5pm Yoga/Pilates/Dance Aerobics 14+ FREE
5pm-6pm Salsa 14+ FREE

CENTRAL FOUNDATION GIRLS SCHOOL SPORT CENTRE
Harley Grove E3 2AE Bow Road tube
Mon 4 March – Fri 8 March
5pm-7.30pm Women Only Gym Sessions
International Women’s Week Promotion – Membership £7 for one month’s access
(usual price £10)
Wed 6 March
5.30pm-6.30pm Yoga and Fitness Classes
Gym Members FREE!
Thur 7 March
5.30pm-7.30pm Football

COLUMBIA ROAD YOUTH CENTRE
27 Columbia Road E2 7QB Hoxton overground
Fri 8 March
3.30pm-8pm Happy International Women’s Day( Young Women’s Event) 11-19 yrs
FELDY
18 Aberfeldy Square E14 0XA Bus 309
Mon 4 March
6pm-7pm Zumba £5
Tue 5 March
5.45pm-6.45pm Pump it up: Dance to Exercise
Wed 6 March
12noon-2pm Move & Stretch
6pm-7pm Pump it up: Stretch 18+
Thur 14 March
4pm-8pm Women in Focus International Women’s Day event

HAILEYBURY YOUTH CENTRE
Ben Jonson Road E1 3FQ Stepney Green tube
Wed 6 March
3pm-6pm Taster sports sessions 11-19 yrs FREE
JOHN ORWELL SPORTS CENTRE
Tench Street E1W 2QD Wapping overground
Wed 6 March
10.30am-11.30am Aerobics Basics £3

LOCKSLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE
Dora Street E14 7TP Limehouse DLR
Sat 2 March
11am-4pm IWW Celebration: Indoor sports, games, competitions, yoga, wellbeing session raffles FREE

MAYFIELD HOUSE
202 Cambridge Heath Road E2 9LJ
Bethnal Green tube
Fri 8 March
10am-12noon International Women’s Day Theme: Women in Tech

MILE END PARK LEISURE CENTRE
190 Burdett Road E3 4HL Mile End tube
Wed 6 March
1pm-3pm Badminton FREE
Thur 7 March
6pm-7pm Body Conditioning £3
Fri 8 March
6pm-8pm Swim for Women £3

MILE END STADIUM
Rhodeswell Road E14 7TW Mile End tube
Mon 4 March
11am-1pm Tower Hamlets Cycling Club – Cycling at Mile End FREE
Tue 5 March
11am-1pm Tower Hamlets Cycling Club – Cycling at Mile End FREE
Wed 6 March
12noon-1pm Body Conditioning £3
6pm International Women’s Day Ramla Ali Sister Club RUN CLUB
Sun 10 March
10am-12noon & 12noon-2pm Tower Hamlets Cycling Club – Family Ride (Mum & Daughter) FREE

POPLAR BATHS LEISURE CENTRE
East India Dock Road E1 0ED All Saints DLR
Tue 5 March
10am-11am Pilates £3
12.30pm-1.15pm Swim for Women £3
6.45pm-7.45pm Group Cycle £3
Numerous times Virtual Classes £3
Wed 6 March
4pm-5pm Handball FREE
6pm-7pm Football £3
6.30pm-7.30pm Aqua Aerobics £3
6.30pm-7.30pm Swim for Women and Girls £3
6.30pm-7.30pm Back to Netball £3
Thurs 7 March
6pm-9pm Badminton Tournament 16+ FREE

REDCOAT COMMUNITY CENTRE
256 Stepney Way E1 3DW Stepney Green tube
Wed 6 March
10am-12noon Yoga for Women and girls FREE

STEPNEY GREEN ASTROTURF
Stepney Green E1 3NG Stepney Green tube
Fri 8 March
2pm-4pm International Women’s Day Sports Activity/Football Event
Sat 9 March
9am-12noon Limehouse Laces F.C. Junior & Veterans Football Tournament FREE

THE MARYAM CENTRE
45 Fieldgate Street E1 1ES Whitechapel tube
Thur 7 March
6pm-7pm Self Defence 18+ FREE

TILLER LEISURE CENTRE
Tiller Road E14 8PX Crossharbour DLR
Tue 5 March
10am-11am Legs, Bums & Tums £3
Thur 7 March
9.15am-10am Aqua Aerobics £3

URBAN ADVENTURE BASE
150 Burdett Road, E3 4JT Mile End tube
Tue 5 March
4pm-5pm Gym Girls 11+ FREE

WELLINGTON WAY HEALTH CENTRE
1A Wellington Way E3 4NE Bow Road tube
Wed 6 March
10am-12noon Move & Stretch 18+

WHITECHAPEL SPORTS CENTRE
55 Durward St E1 5BA Whitechapel tube
Mon 4 March
9.30am-10.30am Body Conditioning
6pm-7pm Legs, Bums & Tums
Wed 6 March
1pm-2pm Self Defence/Boxercise 18+ FREE
5.30pm-9.30pm Basketball Tournament 14+
£45 per team
6pm-7pm Step Aerobics £3