Wik-Ed Women is a new monthly series of Wikipedia editing sessions/workshops for Los Angeles women-in-the arts to contribute their expertise to Wikipedia, specifically expanding its content about women artists. Considering that 90% of Wikipedia’s editors (information-distributing-enthusiasts, really) are men, these evenings advocate against the systemic bias inherent to Wikipedia, one of the ten most popular websites in the world.
Editing Wikipedia is something everyone has the capability to do, though initiating oneself into the "editing realm" can be daunting. Not an Edit-a-thon per se, these sessions will be more loosely structured and include technical tips about navigating, editing and adding to Wikipedia. Wik-Ed Women will develop its agenda organically as participants come with information they want to add, artists they want to research, and drafts of edits and entries they want to discuss. Every session will result in a meeting minutes accompanied by screen-shots/printed copies of edits that were made to Wikipedia that day. These will become a sort of 'zine documenting Wik-Ed Women’s activities and become part of the collection of ephemera at Los Angeles Contemporary Archive.
Refreshments and Wi-Fi will be provided, as will subscription access to the online archives of The Los Angeles Times, Artforum, Frieze, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and Art in America. Please bring your own laptop and power adapter. The inaugural gathering of Wik-Ed Women will take place on September 16, 2014 in the study/conference room at Los Angeles Contemporary Archive (LACA) at 2245 E. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. Attend anytime between 6-10 pm. For more information contact wikedwomen@gmail.com
Define Gender Gap? Look Up Wikipedia’s Contributor List http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/business/media/31link.html
90% of Wikipedia’s Editors are Male – Here’s What They’re Doing About it http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/10/90-of-wikipedias-editors-are-male-heres-what-theyre-doing-about-it/280882/
Women! Wikipedia Needs You
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/aug/08/women-wikipedia-jimmy-wales
Wik-Ed Women is organized by Simone Montemurno with support from the Rema Hort Mann Foundation YoYoYo Artist Grant and Los Angeles Contemporary Archive.
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