MIDDLEBURY — Edgewater Gallery celebrates Women’s History Month in March with an evening of art and conversation on Saturday, March 29, at 5 p.m.
“An Evening with Madeleine Kunin and Pat Musick” will feature former Vermont governor, author and feminist Madeleine Kunin. Kunin will give a lecture titled, “The Unfinished Work of the Women’s Movement,” and celebrate the unveiling of a painted portrait by Vermont artist TJ Cunningham.
Environmental artist Pat Musick will unveil a new body of work, “The Instant of It All,” and give a lecture titled, “A Common Language: Bourgeois, Connell, Takaezu and Pat Musick.”
Food will be presented by FRESH Food, a social enterprise of Vermont Works for Women, whose training program gives women the hands-on experience and skills to work in professional kitchens.
Madeleine Kunin is a former Vermont state legislator (1972-1978), lieutenant governor (1978-1982), and governor of Vermont (1985-1991). She served as the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland from 1996-1999, during which time she dealt with issues of Jewish World War II assets and Nazi-looted gold. Prior to her appointment as ambassador, Kunin served as U.S. deputy secretary of education in the Clinton administration. She is currently a Marsh Scholar Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont. Kunin is the author of “The New Feminist Agenda” and “Pearls and Politics and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead.”
Environmental artist Pat Musick has been creating paintings, sculptures and drawings for over four decades. She is the author of celebrated art books such as “Huracan,” “Stone Songs on the Trail of Tears,” and “No New Thing Under the Sun.” Musick’s work is featured in the permanent collections of over 50 museums and public spaces in the U.S. Her personal archives are kept in the Cornell University Kroch Library. Music holds an MA and a PhD in design and psychology from Cornell University.
FRESH Food is a culinary training program that prepares underemployed women to work in commercial kitchens and restaurants. Over 13 weeks, trainees assist professional chefs in preparing 6,000 healthy, nutritious meals per month for local childcare centers throughout Chittenden County. As a member of the Vermont Fresh Network, FRESH Food collaborates with 25 Vermont farmers and vendors, locally sourcing about 30 percent of its food. FRESH Food’s mission is to provide vital on-the-job training for women, improve the quality of nutrition for children in daycare and support local agriculture.
Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the president to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982, as “Women’s History Week.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the president to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as Women’s History Month.
For additional information, contact Shawna Cross at 802-458-0098 or [email protected].