Don’t Ms.: Chocolate Gala, Art Objectifying Men and More!

Rarely does activism get this hedonistic. This week, support women’s rights by drinking chocolate martinis, gazing at the male form or hearing from the likes of Laurie Anderson and Valerie Plame Wilson.

Minneapolis: Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota’s Celebrate! gala is back for its 10th year, with radio talk show host Jearlyn Steele emceeing and Valerie Plame Wilson keynoting. Author of Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, Plame Wilson was a covert CIA officer whose identity was infamously publicly “outed” in a 2003 newspaper column. Wednesday, Nov. 2, 6 – 9 p.m., Hilton Minneapolis, 1001 Marquette Ave South, Minneapolis, MN.

Chicago: Columbia College and Chicago Humanities Festival are partnering to present an evening with performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson. She is probably best known for her fusion of art and technology in her experimental single O Superman which was even famously covered by David Bowie. Anderson also served as NASA’s first artist in residence which inspired her work The End of the Moon. Wednesday, Nov. 2, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m., Francis W. Parker School, 2233 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL.

Portland: Check out what’s being billed as the first-ever national conference exclusively dedicated to prevention and awareness of gendered violence. The Roots of Change: Social Justice and Media conference hosted by the Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force will be teeming with resources and expertise on the prevention of violence and sexual assault. Men Can Stop Rape‘s keynote presentation “Getting Friendly with Feminism and Prevention: A Man’s Journey” discusses stories of healthy masculinity. Registration ends Tuesday! Wednesday-Friday, Nov. 2-4, The Benson Hotel, 309 Southwest Broadway, Portland, OR.

Los Angeles: Love women who rock? Check out Women Overthrow at the Musicians Institute featuring panel sessions with women in the music industry from managers to radio personalities to the VP of Operations for Guitar Center. The panels will also feature musicians Maureen Herman, Kelly Ogden, Janet Robin, Lola Blanc and Alicia Warrington. Catch the discussions followed by performances and demonstrations by panelists. RSVP jennifer@daisyrock.com. Thursday, Nov. 3, 12-6 p.m. Musicians Institute, 6752 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.

San Francisco: Art critic John Berger famously said, “Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.” Well, some women artists are turning the tables in the exhibit Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze. Featuring men in historically feminine roles, positions and stances, this exhibit seeks to counter the way femininity and masculinity are classically represented. Catch opening day Friday, Nov. 4. SOMArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA.

Rockville, Md.: Come celebrate NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland‘s 22nd Annual Evening of Chocolate Gala celebrating another year of pro-choice advocacy. This year’s event will honor Senator Catherine Pugh and Delegate Heather Mizeur for their efforts in passing the Family Planning Works Act, expanding access to family planning to low income women in Maryland. Given the ever-famous chocolate martinis and decadent chocolate desserts, you’re in for a real treat! Saturday, Nov. 5, 8 – 11 p.m. VisArts Center, 155 Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD.

Know of more events going on this week? Have suggestions for next week’s round-up? Let us know in the comments!

Image from Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze by Della Calfee. Men As Office Desk. Archival paper. 11 x 14 inches. 1991. Courtesy of SOMArts Cultural Center; all rights reserved.

About

Sarah is a visual journalism student at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash. She has a near obsession with ending injustice and is a sucker for a good cause.