Misericordia University Celebrates Women's History Month with Art, Poetry, and Education

Misericordia University Celebrates Women's History Month with Art, Poetry, and Education

DALLAS, PA - Throughout March, Misericordia University proudly celebrated Women's History Month with a dynamic series of campus-wide events that honored the achievements, creativity, and resilience of women throughout history and across cultures. 

The month kicked off with a powerful art exhibition at the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery titled "Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press." The exhibit featured works from notable artists including Lava Thomas and the Quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama, offering a striking narrative of identity, community, and cultural expression. 

Additional programming included an Open Mic Night Jam on March 10 with spoken word poet and artist Rose Daniels. Students, faculty, and community members were invited to share their own poems, writings, artwork, and stories in an evening that highlighted the power of personal voice and artistic expression. 

On March 19, the campus gathered in the Mary Kintz Bevevino Library's McGowan Room for "Six Women Who Changed the World," an event dedicated to showcasing the lives and legacies of six groundbreaking women from diverse historical eras. 

The Annual Women's History Month Poetry Reading, held on March 24, gave attendees the opportunity to read and reflect on poetry by women writers from a variety of cultures and time periods. The event fostered connection and conversation through the universal language of verse. 

The celebration concludes with a traditional Pysanky Workshop on April 4 and 5, where local artist Marianna Bump Lurie will lead participants through the intricate Ukrainian art of egg decorating. The workshop honors both women's roles in cultural preservation and the beauty of intergenerational craft. 

Dr. Jennifer Black, associate professor of history and government at Misericordia University, emphasized the significance of Women's History Month and the importance of continued recognition of women's contributions. 

"We are proud to have celebrated Women's History Month with dedicated events on campus. It's a tradition we started about ten years ago and I've been so grateful to be part of the organizing committee. While society, over the past 30-40 years, has made a lot of progress in recognizing women's contributions to history, there are still many relatively unknown yet incredibly inspiring stories out there to tell. I'm hopeful that we can continue to highlight these little-known aspects of our history for future generations of students."