Conference brings together women in art, science, technology

A unique opportunity for women in art, science and technology is taking place April 25-27 at UB with the arrival of “FEMeeting Sister Labs: Women in Art, Science and Technology.”

The conference brings together women in art, science and technology through panels and workshops, as well as an art exhibition reception that opens the conference.

Stephanie Rothenberg, chair of the Department of Art, is coordinating the conference in collaboration with the Coalesce Center for Biological Art, and has carefully curated speakers, moderators and events surrounding the first-time UB event. 

“This conference is the first one UB has hosted since the inception of FEMeeting Sister Labs in 2021,” Rothenberg says. “The goal is to be interdisciplinary, creating a platform to show the synergies between artists, social scientists and the physical and natural sciences.”

As a result, this three-day event of local and international artists, scholars, faculty, students and community members will include a symposium, exhibition, bio-art workshop and performance at Torn Space Theater.

The first symposium panel, “Witchcraft, Porcupines and the Gaia Hypothesis,” takes place from 10:30-11:45 a.m. on April 26 in the Landmark Room, 210 Student Union. It is be moderated by Mishuana Goeman, professor and chair of Department of Indigenous Studies.

“It’s critical to address the relationship and histories of Indigenous knowledge to scientific knowledge, especially as more and more artists focus on environmental issues and are using the laboratory as their studio,” Rothenberg explains.

A full list of events, and registration information, can be found on the event website.

FEMeeting Sister Labs launched as a hybrid model of interaction between local and global, and between digital and physical, and is driven by the desire to develop and promote more direct collaborations. FEMeeting members address the community of women in art, science and technology, and extend an invitation to their lab spaces.

This conference is one of several Sister Labs events leading up to the annual conference June 23-28 at Incubator Labs in Windsor, Ontario.

The conference is free and open to all, and Rothenberg encourages students and others in the campus community to attend.

“The mission of FEMeeting is bringing women and women-identifying people together who are at these intersections of arts, science and technology. It’s about educating people about the value of the arts within scientific processes and methodologies, and that they’re not just decorative; artists are stakeholders and they actually push science forward,” Rothenberg adds.