V-Day Announces Maya Penn, Chela Mitchell, and Luke Ferrari as College Judges for Dismantle Patriarchy Contest
Deadline for Dismantle Patriarchy Contest’s College Submissions Extended to May 5, 2022
Renowned Artists and Activists Will Evaluate Submissions From College Students Who Challenge Patriarchy Through Art, Music, Other Creative Forms
Today, the global activist movement to end violence against women, girls, and the planet, V-Day, announced a new committee of judges for the college division of their Dismantle Patriarchy Contest. The judges include award-winning environmental activist, CEO and author, Maya Penn, artist and creative advisor Chela Mitchell, and actor, dancer, and actor and singer, Luke Ferrari. As part of their participatory roles in the Dismantle Patriarchy Contest, Maya, Chela, and Luke will review submissions from college students nationwide and select ten finalists whose work poses unique, thought provoking challenges to patriarchy through art, music, and creative expressions.
The Dismantle Patriarchy Contest, which was launched last January, is an opportunity for young people to share their visions of how to change patriarchal society through visual art, music, writing, storytelling, poetry, and performance. With separate divisions for high school and college students, contest winners will receive up to $1,000 in prizes. Submission deadlines were recently extended to May 5, 2022 for college students.
“We’re so excited and grateful to have Maya, Chela, and Luke be a part of this exciting artistic project that empowers and directly invests in young artists,” said V (formerly Eve Ensler), founder of V-Day. “Patriarchy continues to dominate all aspects of our lives, as it has for centuries. It’s up to our youth to disrupt and change these unjust and inequitable systems. Dismantle Patriarchy not only challenges young people to envision a different and better society, but to use their artistic gifts to communicate this vision in a powerful and unique way.”
“Art is a catalyst for change and action,” said entrepreneur, climate activist, and CEO, Maya Penn. “The Dismantle Patriarchy Contest challenges young artists to not only think creatively about how they can bring about change, but also how they can encourage others to join them in building a more just world. This contest is an opportunity to learn from youth about new ways to address and overcome systemic and societal injustices rooted in our society.”
“V-Day does tremendous work at the intersection of art and activism to advance justice and equality for women, gender diverse individuals and youth across the world,” said Chela Mitchell, founder of Chela Mitchell Art (CMA). “True change only happens through boldness, vision and creativity. I’m honored to be a part of this panel and excited to see how these young student artists break down the patriarchy through artistic expression.”
“Art and music have the power to move minds and hearts, to call attention to some of the most serious challenges we face as a society and bring us together to address them,” said nonbinary Tiktoker and actor, Luke Ferrari. “The Dismantle Patriarchy Contest offers a platform for young people across the country to use their artistic talents to imagine a world without gender discrimination, violence and inequity. I am thrilled to be a part of this effort and look forward to seeing the creations these brilliant young minds produce.”
Each of the three judges have professional backgrounds in art and activism:
Maya Penn (she/her) is the founder and CEO of eco-fashion brand Maya’s Ideas, and author of Simon & Schuster. Maya was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as the youngest Supersoul 100 entrepreneur and change maker. She also received a commendation from President Barack Obama for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship.
Chela Mitchell (she/her) is the founder of Chela Mitchell Art (CMA), where she provides art advisory to private, public and new collectors looking to navigate the contemporary art market. With experience as a collector and a deep understanding of the industry, Chela assists clients in all aspects of building a fine art collection.
Luke Ferrari (they/them) is a NYC-based actor at the American Repertory Theater, with past performances in WILD: A Musical Becoming, Young Frankenstein, Annie, 42nd Street, Oliver, White Christmas, and Smithtown Performing Arts Center.
The Dismantle Patriarchy Contest closes on April 15, 2022 for high school submissions, and on May 5, 2022 for college submissions. The College Committee judges will announce the ten winners in late May.
The DISMANTLE PATRIARCHY contest for college students around the world and US-based high school students is open for submissions! . Tell us. How would you #DismantlePatriarchy? Address how patriarchy impacts your life, your community, the world. How might we dismantle – take apart, break into pieces, deconstruct – patriarchy? What would it take? Bring your creative voice to this contest! Tell us, in whatever creative method reflects your project, and you just might win an award for your idea. Submissions can be in the form of essay, poetry, music, art, photography, film, etc. Experiment. Think outside the box. Break down patriarchy and show us what a post-patriarchal world looks like. Articulate your vision using all the creative tools at your disposal. The contest is open to college students around the world and US-based high school students. Ten winners in the high school category and ten winners in the college category will each receive a $1,000 (USD) prize. High School submissions are due by April 7, 2022. College submissions have been extended and are now due by May 5, 2022. . For more info, visit DismantlePatriarchy.org.
COLLEGE
The Dismantle Patriarchy Contest – a contest for college students around the world is OPEN for submissions!
Tell Us. How would you #DismantlePatriarchy? Address how patriarchy impacts your life, your community, the world. How might we dismantle – take apart, break into pieces, deconstruct – patriarchy? What would it take? Bring your creative voice to this contest! Tell us, in whatever creative method reflects your project, and you just might win an award for your idea. Submissions can be in the form of essay, poetry, music, art, photography, film, etc. Experiment. Think outside the box. Break down patriarchy and show us what a post-patriarchal world looks like. Articulate your vision using all the creative tools at your disposal. The contest is open to college students around the world. Ten winners in the college category will each receive a $1,000 (USD) prize. The college deadline for submissions: May 5, 2022.
Competition Awards $1,000 Prizes to High School and College Student Winners Who Challenge Patriarchy Through Art, Music, Other Creative Forms
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: media (at) vday.org
January 26, 2022 (Updated 03-22-22) — The gender-based violence prevention groups V-Day and A Call to Men today launched a competition calling on high school students in the United States and college students around the world to use their creative talents to Dismantle Patriarchy. The Dismantle Patriarchy Contest challenges young people to use visual art, music, essay, story, poetry, video or photography to envision how they might change the larger societal system of patriarchy and create an accepting society.
Patriarchy is a system of power whereby masculinity and men are marked as inherently more worthy than femininity and women. This puts men on top, giving them more access to power, resources, and even knowledge. It tells women that they deserve less: less money, less freedom, less strength. And it erases people who don’t ascribe to traditional gender roles, too often with violence. Through this contest, students will be encouraged to question, challenge, and break down patriarchy and show what a post-patriarchal world looks like.
Worldwide, youth are calling for a change in the systems that continue to fail us. We have seen the resurgence of white supremacy, the devastating effects of climate catastrophe, and ongoing economic inequality. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the effects of these crises and continues to be felt by the most marginalized communities today. One of those systems is patriarchy, which creates a culture of domination, violence and suppression. Patriarchy is still the dominant way our culture is organized– it’s time we dismantle the injustice at the heart of the system.
The Dismantle Patriarchy contest consists of two categories of competition: high school (US only) and college (worldwide). Ten winners from each category will receive $1,000 prizes. High School submissions are due by April 7, 2022. College submissions have been extended and are now due by May 5, 2022.
Questions that entrants should consider for their submissions include:
Think about how the concept of gender and gender roles shape our lives. How do they impact you and your peers, your family?
What does patriarchy mean to youth today?
How does patriarchy affect transgender people and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender-based violence?
If you view gender differently than you’ve previously been taught to see it, how do you think your worldview will change? What does that mean for the future and our world?
Who does patriarchy prioritize? What would a non-patriarchal world look like for traditionally marginalized and excluded folks?
In 2018, V (formerly Eve Ensler) and Tony Porter, CEO of A Call to Men, organized a meeting in New York City, gathering twenty anti-violence activists from across the United States. In response to the #MeToo movement and wave of victims and survivors stepping forward, the group was diverse in race, ethnicity, sexual identity, class, age, and geographical location. Their collective discussed an intersectional vision for a collaborative project that would help shift culture and directly impact how we engage and interact with one another. The group unanimously agreed that some of the best solutions to combat gender-based violence rested with young people. The Dismantle Patriarchy contest was born as a result.
The Dismantle Patriarchy contest will be judged by two teams of judges. The high School submissions will be reviewed by YouthACT!, a group of young leaders “Actively Committed To” promoting healthy masculinity and healthy relationships, preventing gender-based violence, and creating a better world for ALL women, girls, men, boys, LGBQ+ Transgender and nonbinary people. YouthACT! is mentored by A Call to Men. A separate panel of judges will review the college submissions.
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About V-Day:
V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against all women (cisgender, transgender, and gender non-conforming), girls and the planet. V-Day believes that when art and activism come together, they have the power to transform systems and change culture.
Activists look at the intersection of class, race, gender, environmental destruction, imperialism, militarism, patriarchy, poverty, and war, as women face abuse and exploitation across layers of systematic and societal oppression, with the most marginalized and excluded often facing increased levels of violence.
Founder V (formerly Eve Ensler)’s play The Vagina Monologues and other works have been performed across the world by local activists, survivors and artists, raising over $120 million dollars for grassroots anti-violence groups, rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, and safe houses, shattering taboos and changing the way activists make change in their communities. Today, V-Day’s work includes the City of Joy, a revolutionary center for women survivors of gender violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has graduated over 1700 women leaders; One Billion Rising, the largest mass action to demand an end to violence against women in history; and Voices, a new interdisciplinary performance arts project and campaign grounded in Black women’s stories by V-Day to unify the vision of ending violence against women: cis women, trans women, and non binary people across the African Continent and African Diaspora. V-Day, the City of Joy, One Billion Rising and Voices are a crucial part of the global fight to stop gender-based violence through attacking the silence — public and private — that allows violence against women to continue.
With ingenuity and determination, V-Day activists around the world are tirelessly working to end harassment, rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sex slavery. For more info, visit http://www.vday.org
About A Call to Men:
A Call to Men is a violence prevention organization and respected leader on issues of manhood, male socialization and its intersection with violence, and preventing violence against all women, girls, and those at the margins of the margins. A Call to Men works to transform society by promoting healthy, respectful manhood and offering trainings and educational resources for companies, government agencies, schools, and community groups.
At the core of all A Call to Men’s education and programming is their signature analysis on the collective socialization of manhood — the Man Box — and their community organizing model for promoting healthy manhood. A Call To Men offers an invitation to men, not an indictment of manhood. They work to raise men’s and boys’ consciousness about their collective socialization so that they can think critically about how they might be reinforcing or passing on these harmful beliefs and so they can challenge those beliefs in other men. By addressing the root of these problems (from domestic violence and sexual assault to sexual harassment and workplace discrimination), A Call to Men is paving the way for gender equity.
For decades, A Call To Men has mobilized hundreds of thousands of male-identified aspiring allies to women and girls around the world. Since their founding in 2002, they have trained more than a million people and worked with organizations around the world – including the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, Uber, Deloitte, Harry’s, J.P. Morgan, the United States Military, the U.S. Department of Justice, the United Nations, and colleges and universities across the country.
For more information, visit www.acalltomen.org. Follow A Call to Men on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn @acalltomen.
