Great words Sue. The New York Times article really rippled
throughout the web, and I know many of us (male or female
Wikipedians) hoped to see some things take place because of it. I
have always followed the gender gap issues with Wikipedia since my
involvement, and always been aware of my minority status, so it's
great to see this getting more press than a menial case study every
year.
I'm Sarah Stierch, a Wikipedian since 2006 (by way of
Username:Missvain) and one of the project leaders of
Wikipedia:Public Art (once known as Wikipedia Saves Public Art). I
am lucky to be involved in a creative project that is headed by
myself, Jennifer Geigel-Mikulay and Lori Byrd-Phillips, two
inspiring women who have done nothing but support my efforts,
struggles and successes. We do have one boy in the mix - Richard
McCoy. Both Richard and Jennifer serve as advisers for Lori and
myself, in career and educational matters. We're really lucky!
I have always been involved in arenas that are rather gender bias.
I've been a DJ for over 10 years, played drums and sang in bands,
booked rock concerts, sold fine art, and always considered myself a
tomboy. I've been dealing with gender conflicts and attempting to
fight the idea of being even lumped into one or the other for many
years. I don't intend on going into some crazed feminist rant - but,
I have my own opinions and feel passionate about getting more
involved in sharing information and culture - and if more women
would like to participate, that would be grand.
I'm specifically interested in bringing elder women (our moms,
grandmas, teachers, professors, etc) and our younger women (sisters,
daughters, students) into Wikipedia.
Most of my work revolves around public art in Wikipedia. I have a
desire to promote reclamation and ownership of public art by "the
people."
I live in Washington, D.C. I am obtaining my Masters in Museum
Studies (A very female dominated educational community, and a world
that seems to move like molasses in regards to Wikipedia) at George
Washington University. I obtained my undergrad from Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis in Native American studies
and a minor in Museum Studies.
I recently gave a very chaotic talk about WIkipedia: Public Art at
WikiXDC at the National Archives. I write an article in a popular
online local newspaper called "The Peoples Art" about the public art
I write about in DC on Wikipedia. Overall, my thesis work will
revolve hopefully around public art ownership via Wikipedia.
Alright, I've babbled enough. It's an honor to be apart of this, and
I really look forward to seeing what our revolution will bring
about.
Sarah
(Who's already brainstorming ideas for the Women in Wikipedia
Cocktail Hour in Haifa!!!)
--
Sarah Stierch
Consulting
Historical, cultural
& artistic research, advising & event planning.