Desire Change Book Launch

Please join us to celebrate the launch of Desire Change: Contemporary Feminist Art in Canada, edited by Dr. Heather Davis and project managed by Nicole Burisch, both of whom will be in attendance.

If you can't attend the launch you can still buy the book by stopping in at MAWA or ordering it here.

This is a project that MAWA has been hard at work on since 2013. It was made possible by donations from many of you, the MAWA community; The Winnipeg Foundation; and a partnership with McGill-Queen’s University Press.

The 328-page, hardcover, full-colour volume celebrates some of the art by feminists in our nation. Shockingly, it is THE FIRST book about feminist art, in all media, ever published in Canada! It features 14 essays focusing on regional histories, activist art, community engagement, Indigenous feminisms and the political role of the female body. There is also a historical timeline from 1963-2015. Writers include: Janice Anderson (Concordia University), Gina Badger (artist, writer and editor, Toronto), Noni Brynjolson (Winnipeg and UC San Diego), Amber Christensen (curator and writer, Toronto and Brandon), Karin Cope (NSCAD), Lauren Fournier (artist, writer and curator, York University), Amy Fung (curator and writer, Toronto), Kristina Huneault (Concordia University), Alice Ming Wai Jim (Concordia University), Tanya Lukin Linklater (artist, North Bay), Sheila Petty (University of Regina), Kathleen Ritter (curator and writer, Vancouver), Daniella Sanader (curator and writer, Toronto), Thérèse St. Gelais (UQAM), cheyanne turions (curator and writer, Toronto), Ellyn Walker (Queen’s University), Jayne Wark (NSCAD) and Jenny Western (curator and writer, Winnipeg). Even at this scope and with this range of writers, much of our Canadian feminist art history could not be included. MAWA hopes that the book inspires others to record and reflect on the amazing contributions of women in our national visual arts community.

Desire Change will be available for sale at the event for $45 (that’s $5 off the list price.) With your purchase, you can get a MAWA bookbag to put it in for an extra $10. Support MAWA and pick up both: a text and accessory for any feminist academic, scholar, writer or artist!

It was audacious for MAWA to embark on this ground-breaking, monumental project. Now it is complete. Please join us to raise a glass to its success, and help us to scheme for volume two!