For a PDF version of this press release, click here.
Drexel University’s Vision 2020’s “Women 100” is Here!
“Seat at the Table” Interactive Exhibition Opens at the
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on March 1, 2020
Philadelphia (January 20, 2020) After more than a decade of planning, Women 100: A National Celebration of American Women is here!
A series of programs and events in 2020, Women 100 celebrates American women and sparks new ideas about the path to gender equality. Presented by Drexel University’s Vision 2020, Women 100 is the largest 19th Amendment centennial celebration in the United States.
Throughout 2020, Women 100 and its partner organizations will showcase the contributions of women past and present through complementary women-themed programs and events combined with Women 100 signature programs.
On Sunday, March 1, “Seat at the Table,” an interactive exhibition will open at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia. Visitors will experience this interactive exhibition to discover what it took for women to win voting rights and how gender inequality persists.
Commissioned by Vision 2000 and conceived and designed by DOME Collective, an experience design studio in New York City, and curated by Talbott Exhibits and Planning of Philadelphia, the exhibition links the past to the present, connecting historical stories with contemporary issues. The goal of the exhibition is to raise awareness and start conversations around women’s suffrage and its ties to other social movements that are still present today, and to inspire the next generation of civic engagement working toward gender equality.
The stark statistics of inequality are experienced at the Seat at the Table exhibit as infographic furniture and physical interventions throughout the space. Huge infographics, that also function as public seating, show disparities in diversity and leadership across multiple industries. Visitors are invited to take a seat at a board table, step up to a presidential podium, or ride a bike to “exercise your right to vote,” contemplate these disparities, and imagine a different scenario. Bold graphics and large quotes guide visitors to experience more of the exhibit throughout the space and serve as a reminder of the challenge and pathways to progress. Small tables offer statistics from 18 occupations from 2016-19, inviting visitors to take a seat and consider the representation of women in the workforce and what these numbers mean individually and collectively.
A wall of six touch screens introduces visitors to 18 pioneering women who represent an array of arenas—activism, politics, business, STEM, communications, sports-- over the past one hundred years and more. Read their inspiring words, see their pictures, and be moved by the stories of historic and contemporary women who have been and continue to be agents of change. Vote for the Women100 goal that is the most meaningful to you.
This modern installation commemorates the 19th amendment – women’s right to vote—and presents a snapshot of gender equality in the United States, asking “Where are we now?” 100 years later. Gender equality is a large part of the unfinished business of our democracy.
Why does it matter? Women are half the population, and their ideas and concerns are often unheard. Equality will exist when shared leadership among women and men is a reality.
The exhibition is family-friendly, free and open to the public in the Kimmel Center lobby.
Upcoming Vision 2020’s Women 100 events include:
Women’s Leadership Forums
April 1, 2020
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia
Join a Dialogue About Gender Equality Then and Now
Participate in conversations with well-known panelists about the past, present and future of shared leadership among women and men. Attend one, two or all three forums.
SHE Leads Road Rally
June 19-20, 2020
Road Trip from America’s Birthplace to the Birthplace of Women’s Rights
Getting there is more than half the fun as women driving race cars lead an overnight round trip from Philadelphia to Seneca Falls, NY, site of the first Women’s Rights Convention. Drive or ride the bus.
Toast to Tenacity™
August 26, 2020
Celebrate 100 Years Since Women Won the Right to Vote
Join a tribute to Women’s Equality Day on Independence Mall with inspiring speakers, music and a salute to the suffragists whose tenacious efforts resulted in passage of the 19th Amendment.
Celebrating Women
September 16, 2020
Honoring Trailblazing Women Past and Present
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia
Be among 2,500 people in the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall as we recognize women who broke down barriers for themselves and others. A celebratory reception in the lobby follows the ceremony.
Voter Mobilization 2020
January 1 – November 3, 2020
Let’s Break the Record for Women Voter Turnout
One hundred years ago, trailblazing suffragists won the right to vote for women across the nation. Working with its powerful network of Allied Organizations and Delegates across the country, Vision 2020 will lead a nonpartisan nationwide voter mobilization campaign. With civic awareness and engagement raised to new heights by Women 100, the goal is to see women vote in record numbers in the 2020 national election. Following Election Day, Vision 2020 will report the results.
To learn more about the “Seat at the Table” exhibition and Women 100’s other events and programs visit women100.org.
About Vision 2020
Vision 2020 is a national women’s equality coalition headquartered at Drexel University’s Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership. The coalition is made up of individuals and organizations in all 50 states working together for women’s economic, political and social equality in the United States.
Vision 2020’s Women 100 is a celebration of American women during the year in which the 19th Amendment — women’s right to vote — reaches its 100th anniversary. In 2020, Philadelphia, the birthplace of American democracy, will be home to Vision 2020’s Women 100 programs and events, while members of the Vision 2020 national coalition will host sister programs across the country in support of the 19th Amendment centennial celebration.
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Contact:
Greg Richter
215-895-2614 (office)
609-532-1884 (cell)
Marsha Braverman
215-991-8198 (office)
267-733-7215 (cell)
For a PDF version of this press release, click here.