Urbact - Gender Equal Cities

6E. PUBLIC ART AND REPRESENTATION

78 ELKA, S. (2018) Streets in Brussels are being re-named - with residents suggestions , World Economic Forum, available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/08/beer-chips-and-historic-women-inspire-new-brussels- streetnames/

79 SHAHEED, F. (2021) Cultural Actions Supporting Gender Equality in Cities and Territories , UCLG Committee on Culture Reports, available at: https://agenda21culture.net/sites/default/files/files/documents/en/report_9_-_ cultural_policies_and_gender_equality_-_en_1.pdf

Who and what is represented in public space sends a message about what is valued. In many cities, the majority of statues are of men as leaders, artists, thinkers, conquerors and the majority of roads are named after men. The women who are celebrated in public space tend to be saints, queens or handmaidens. These visual and symbolic representations in public space perpetuate gendered stereotypes and can reinforce fixed ideas about what women and men can or can t be. Many cities are taking action to redress this78, to celebrate their urban her-stories, to bring visibility to the contributions of women through street names, statues, plaques and women-led festivals.

In addition, some cities are incorporating women s museums and libraries into their local public cultural infrastructure as a way of highlighting women s contributions to culture, society and knowledge. In 2014, Konak Municipality (Turkey) established the Women s

Museum Izmir, the first women s museum in Turkey. The museum has a section dedicated to the women s movement and holds gender- related exhibitions and theatre activities. Furthermore, a new women s museum, approved by the City Council, will feature historical representations of women from different backgrounds, illustrate and raise awareness of women s rights movements. A network of national and international women s museums is being created through congresses, workshops, training courses, joint and collaborative projects79. Barcelona (Spain) and Reggio Emilia (Italy) have also established female-focused cultural plans, while London (England) and Bologna (Italy) have established women s libraries. These good practices demonstrate how art and culture can be powerful tools for inclusion when they include expressions from all communities.

Place du Pantheon - A place for great women [Paris, France]

In autumn of 2018, the women s collective Genre et Ville was tasked by the City of Paris with the gender-responsive redesign of Place du Pantheon. The collective took a range of steps to make space for women in this square of great men . The redesign involved the creation of 4 000 square metres of new street furniture with a variety of shapes and configurations to accommodate a wide range of uses, groups and body shapes.

Plants and trees in large pots were added to create shade and a park-like environment. Female artists were engaged to engrave the names of famous women on the street furniture, thus, creating more visibility for women s achievements. A consciously intersectional perspective was taken in the choice of women to represent. Learn more in the GenderedLandscape Case Study.

Case Study