Join the Libraries for its annual Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

Ohio University Libraries is pleased to hold its annual Wikipedia Edit-a-thon once more on Wednesday, March 27 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Alden Library room 251. This year includes a special remote appearance at 4 p.m. with former company dancers from the Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis dance company. The event is free and open to everyone.

Training will be provided at the beginning of the event at 3 p.m., and volunteers will be available to help participants edit one-on-one throughout the event. Topics and sources will be prepared beforehand to make editing easier, and it’s encouraged that everyone bring their own laptop and sign up for a Wikipedia account in advance.

Art + Feminism (A+F) is a worldwide campaign and serves as an opportunity to improve Wikipedia’s coverage of feminism in the arts as well as women and nonbinary artists. The purpose of the event is to create a safe space for people to learn about editing Wikipedia and to enhance coverage of an underrepresented subject on the world’s largest online encyclopedia.

This year’s event is focusing on adding information about women modern dancers to Wikipedia.  The Libraries’ Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Dance Collection will be used as a starting point. The event is a chance for people of all skill levels to come together and work collectively to enhance the coverage of modern dance and performance art on Wikipedia through editing articles.

Alberto (Tito) del Saz, artistic director of the Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance, and Natasha Simon, company dancer, along with other former Nikolais/Louis dance company dancers will be making a special appearance remotely at 4 p.m. with the purpose of providing a personal perspective on the theme of the event. Dancers will also be talking about their careers, experiences and current involvement with the Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis Dance Collection at Ohio University Libraries.

Greta Suiter, manuscripts archivist, wrote in an email that she is looking forward to the dancers being present and sharing their experiences.

“I think having them attend will bring their unique perspectives and insights to the event and will undoubtedly enrich the discourse, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution and impact of modern dance,” Suiter wrote. “I’m hoping we can hear about their personal experiences and how working with the collection has affected their memories and connections to the past.”

Suiter also mentioned that materials from the collection will be available for participants to view at the event, and that the collaboration between the Libraries and the Nikolais/Louis Foundation will not only be informative about the art of dance but the opportunities for editing as well.

“I hope people will get energized about editing Wikipedia and will be empowered to edit more in the future,” Suiter wrote. “I also hope they will become familiar with the Nikolais and Louis Dance Collection in the Library.”

For more information about the event, please contact Greta Suiter at suiter@aprender-a-bailar.com.