Series 7: Half the Sky Festival: Brooklyn Women in Traditional Performance
Scope and Contents
Program Files include project contacts, fieldwork, media, notes, programming details, project history and scheduling. Promotional materials include clippings, mailers, fliers, and email sign-up sheets. Budget files and funding information is also included. Program Files also include consent forms and logs for participant interviews. Audiovisual materials include event documentation and interviews. Photographs are digital.
Half the Sky Festival events included:
Gender and Diaspora: Conflicts and Resolutions. AIR Gallery, April 21, 2012.
Keeping Boundaries/Breaking Barriers. Brooklyn Historical Society, April 22, 2012.
The Sweetest Song. A capella vocal concert. Brooklyn Public Library Dweck Center, April 28, 2012.
High Strung Women. Jalopy Theater, May 10, 2012.
The Home Altar as Ex-Voto: Living with the Sacred. John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, May 8, 2012.
A Woman Upfront Benefit Concert and Reception. Roulette, May 9, 2012.
Folk Feet Females. Kumble Theater, Long Island University, May 12, 2012.
Bay Mayn Mames Shtibele: The Women's Art of Yiddish Folksong. Center for Jewish History, May 14, 2012.
Jazz Women Fusing Forms Concert. BAM Cafe, May 18, 2012.
Cinderella in the Arab World. Brooklyn Public Library, Bay Ridge branch, May 31, 2021.
Girls Hit the Streets. The Actors Fund Arts Center, June 2, 2012.
Women's Rites and Rituals: The Art of Transformation. Congregation B'nai Avraham Mikvah, June 3, 2012.
Drum it Down. Brooklyn Public Library, Flatbush branch, June 5, 2012.
Circle, Shimmy, Sway Dance Circle. Brooklyn Bridge Park, June 9, 2012.
Bachelorette Bash. American Association of Crimean Turks Center and Mosque, June 10, 2012.
Participants included:
Muna Abdel Azziz
Maha Attieh
Zeinab Bader
Riham Barghouti
Trina Basu
Mary Bielski
Tamara Chernyakhouvsky
Nijmat Falasteen
Annie Ferdous
Omheah Hamdi
Uriye Hanim
Aeilushi Mistry
Kaina Quenga
Bhagmatti Ragbir
Shobana Ram
Sandhya Rao
Amanda Seigel
Rajalakshmi Shankar
Shoshana Tubi
Baba Umpho
Maria Yoon
Historical Note
Half the Sky Festival: Brooklyn Women in Traditional Performance was created and produced by Kay Turner, Folk Arts Director at the Brooklyn Arts Council. The festival, which was held from April-June 2012 consisted of six weeks of concerts, panels and workshops featuring music, dance, narrative, verbal arts, and ritual traditions. Events included lullabies, folk tales, wedding songs, and social dances. The festival name comes from a Chinese proverb, "women hold up half the sky," and is used as a stepping off point for recognizing that despite the 50% statistic alluded to in the phrase, women's traditional performances are still often segregated and domesticated.
Sub-series 7.1: Program Files
Contacts, 2012
Contacts, Performing Artists, 2012
Fieldwork, 2012
Media, 2012
General Notes, 2012
Participation, 2012
Programming Details, 2012
Project History, 2012
Scheduling, 2012
Budget, 2012
Check Requests, 2012
Costs, 2012
Funding, JP Morgan Bank, 2012
Funding, MetLife, 2012
Funding, NEA, 2012
Funding, Violet Jabara Charitable Trust, 2012
Publicity, Email List, 2012
Publicity, Program Mailer, 2012
Publicity, Misc., 2012
Consent Forms, 2012
Events, Gender and Diaspora, 2012
Events, Keeping Boundaries / Breaking Barriers, 2012
Events, The Sweetest Song, 2012
Events, The Home Altar as Ex-Voto: Living With the Sacred, Lecture by Kay Turner, 2012
Events, A Woman Upfront Benefit Concert and Reception, 2012
Events, High Strung Woman, Concert, 2012
Events, Folk Feet Females, 2012
Events, Bay mayn mame's shtibele, The Women's Art of Yiddish Folksong, 2012
Events, Jazz Women Fusing Forms, 2012
Events, Cinderella in the Arab World, 2012
Events, Girls Hit the Streets, 2012
Events, Women's Rites and Rituals, 2012
Events, Drum it Down, 2012
Events, Circle, Shimmy, Sway, 2012
Events, Bachelorette Bash, 2012
Interview Consent Forms, 2012
Interview Logs, Abdelaziz, Muna, 2012
Interview Logs, Ahieh, Maha, 2012
Interview Logs, Bader, Zeinab, 2012
Interview Logs, Basu, Trina, 2012
Interview Logs, Chernyakhousky, Tamara, 2012
Interview Logs, Ferdous, Annie, 2012
Interview Logs, Hamdi, Omneah, 2012
Interview Logs, Hanim, Uriye, 2012
Interview Logs, Mistry, Aeilushi, 2012
Interview Logs, Ragbir, Bhagmati, 2012
Interview Logs, Ram, Shobana, 2012
Interview Logs, Rao, Sandhya, 2012
Interview Logs, Seigel, Amanda, 2012
Interview Logs, Shankar, Rajalakshmi, 2012
Interview Logs, Tubi, Shoshana, 2012
Research, Context, 2012
Research, Interviews from the BAC Archive, 2012
Research, Journal Entries, 2012
Research, Rituals, 2012
Research, Women from Past BAC Programs, 2012
Sub-series 7.2: Audiovisual
Scope and Contents
Events represented in the Audiovisual sub-series include:
The Sweetest Song. A capella vocal concert. Brooklyn Public Library Dweck Center, April 28, 2012.
High Strung Women. Jalopy Theater, May 10, 2012.
Folk Feet Females. Kumble Theater, Long Island University, May 12, 2012.
Cinderella in the Arab World. Brooklyn Public Library, Bay Ridge branch, May 31, 2021.
Girls Hit the Streets. The Actors Fund Arts Center, June 2, 2012.
Women's Rites and Rituals: The Art of Transformation. Congregation B'nai Avraham Mikvah, June 3, 2012.
Drum it Down. Brooklyn Public Library, Flatbush branch, June 5, 2012.
Bachelorette Bash. American Association of Crimean Turks Center and Mosque, June 10, 2012.
