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Home / Workshops: Amplifying the Voices of Engaged Researchers Around the World / Empowering Gender Equality through Public Art: Engaged Learning and Communities of Practice for Effective Gender Policy Briefs in Kyrgyzstan

Empowering Gender Equality through Public Art: Engaged Learning and Communities of Practice for Effective Gender Policy Briefs in Kyrgyzstan

(SP): Empoderando la igualdad de género a través del arte público: aprendizaje comprometido y comunidades de práctica para resúmenes de políticas de género eficaces en Kirguistán

Date: Apr 20, 2023 08:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

English:

Spanish:

 

 

This event will provided simultaneous interpretation in Spanish to English and English to Spanish.

This workshop provides a case study on using public art as a powerful tool for addressing gender issues in decision-making positions in the arts community and society in general. Participants will discuss how to use artistic practices and policy briefs on gender equality in public art and collaborate with others who are passionate about promoting social justice and equality. The workshop will emphasize the importance of public art as a tool for social change and aim to address gender inequality in the arts community. Participants will strengthen their understanding and skills in creating policy briefs and have the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals to continue advocating for positive change in their communities. This workshop is an opportunity for educators, artists, and activists to come together and reflect on engaged learning and the importance of a community of practice, and the power of public art to address gender issues in the context of Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. The workshop will be moderated by Engaged Research Fund recipient Ruslan M. Rahimov, an anthropologist at the American University of Central Asia, and include fellow Engaged Research Fund recipient Jarkyn Shadymanova, sociologist, and co-author of the research. The workshop will include community partners and AUCA students Udukenova Kymbat, Askarbekova Sezim, Almazbekova Aizada, Egemberdieva Aliia; as well as Diana Ukhina, a researcher, artist, curator and head of the SYNERGY creative workshophttps://ci.kg/, as well as co-founder of the Bishkek School of Contemporary Art (BiSCA) https://bishci.com/en/home/ ; and Jazgul Madazimova, an artist primarily interested in public and social practice art. 

Speaker Biographies

Ruslan M. Rakhimov

Associate Professor, AUCA
Ruslan M. Rakhimov is an Associate Professor at the Anthropology department of the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). He has extensive experience in the field of anthropology and has published papers on various topics related to culture, society, and politics. His research interests include anthropology of art and performance, applied anthropology, engaged learning, environmental anthropology, transnational mobility, visual and historical anthropology. Currently, he is working on a research project alongside Jarkyn Shadymanova that focuses on the role of public art in addressing gender issues in Kyrgyzstan. The project is funded by the Engaged Research Fund from Talloires Network of Engaged Universities and OSUN.

Jarkyn Shadymanova

Associate Professor, AUCA

Jarkyn Shadymanova is an Associate Professor at the American University of Central Asia. Jarkyn is the Second Cohort recipient of the CLASP Fellowship Program 2022-2024. Also, Jarkyn participated in ELI, OSUN, and Bard. She implemented the “Green Day” project for CELAS, OSUN.  Currently, Jarkyn is implementing as a co-investigator with Dr. Ruslan Rahimov project “Promoting Gender Equality Through Public Art: Fostering Cultural Dialogue”.  Her research interests include qualitative and quantitative research methods, social work, sustainable consumption, and gender studies.

Aliia Egemberdieva

Student, AUCA

Aliia Egemberdieva is a senior student at American University of Central Asia studying Social Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking. She is taking the course “Applied Research in Sustainability,” where together with professor Ruslan Rakhimov she is conducting a research on the topic of public arts in highlighting gender inequality. Simultaneously, she is taking a course “Civic Engagement.” In this course, she will conduct an exhibition on the topic of “What were you wearing?” which came to her mind after she interviewed one woman in Bishkek, together with professor Ruslan. This kind of exhibition was conducted once in 2018 and Aliia wants to continue this project and raises awareness about sexual violence and harassment in Kyrgyzstan.

Aizada Almazbekova

Student, AUCA

Aizada Almazbekova is a senior student studying Anthropology and International Development at AUCA. Since high school, she has had a huge interest in gender based topics. In 2021, she established a project “Girls’ Rights KG.” The goals of this project were to inform young girls how to protect themselves from sexual violence or any kind of violence and increase their knowledge with the help of  gender equality trainings and mentoring. She is now taking the course “Applied Research Sustainability” where she is working on research on "Empowering Gender Equality through Public Art: Engaged Learning and Communities of Practice for Effective Gender Policy Briefs in Kyrgyzstan.'' This research plays an extremely significant role in gender issues through art especially in Central Asia.

Sezim Askarbekova

Student, AUCA

Sezim Askarbekova is a senior student at the American University of Central Asia, majoring in Anthropology and International Development and participated of the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program in NYC during the fall of 2021. She is a former exchange student at Tuebingen University in Germany for the spring of 2022. Currently, she is working on her senior thesis research being focused on the experiences of young Kyrgyz girls and women in relation to the use of public spaces, specifically streets, parks, and public transport utilizing a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. She is participating in this research project titled "Empowering Gender Equality through Public Art: Engaged Learning and Communities of Practice for Effective Gender Policy Briefs in Kyrgyzstan." Through this, she is able to gain a comprehensive understanding of this issue, which also helps her to develop my senior thesis and get more cohesive ideas. Through this research and work in the field, she has come to believe that the arts, particularly in the form of creative expression and storytelling, can play a powerful role in challenging stereotypical ideas about gender roles and raising awareness about it.

Diana Ukhina

Researcher and Artist

Diana Ukhina is a researcher, artist, curator and head of the SYNERGY creative workshop, as well as co-founder of the Bishkek School of Contemporary Art (BiSCA) She holds a Master degree in sociology from American University of Central Asia. Diana works with the following topics: art as a process and experience, memory, visual culture, socio-cultural relations, the history of art in Kyrgyzstan, gender. Art forms: exhibitions, research and text, photography and video, design and layout, sound, ceramic.

Jazgul Madazimova

Artist
Jazgul Madazimova is an artist, primarily interested in public and social practice art. She uses the tools of art to work with the issues of women, migration and borders. Jazgul practices a collaborative and socially engaged approach integrating artists, spaces and communities. Jazgul studied International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Central Asia and school of contemporary art ArtEast in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
instagram: @madazimova