As a freshman and a new member of the University of Iowa Feminist Union, I read a piece of my writing at the Feminist Voices Fall 2013 Showcase. I remember grinning as I stepped down from the stage in Public Space One, thrilled by how attentive, encouraging, and supportive the audience had been, snapping their fingers as if my essay about the importance of encouraging girls to read were an entry in a poetry slam and enthusiastically applauding me when I had finished. I felt that my voice had been truly heard that night.

Last Tuesday, as the Feminist Union’s Events Chair, I co-hosted the Spring 2016 edition of this biannual arts showcase. At my side was the charismatic Vivian Medithi, the Feminist Union’s Social Media Chair, and together we introduced twelve poets, essayists, and visual artists to the attending crowd. This was my third time organizing Feminist Voices (which mainly involves contacting Public Space One, looking over artist submissions, and sharing the Facebook event over and over and over), and I’ve yet to grow tired of it. I simply adore this event and love bringing it back semester after semester.

The first thing that I love about the Feminist Voices Showcase is, of course, the participating artists. I am consistently blown away by the talented UI students and Iowa City community members who come forward to share their work at the showcase. It takes courage to stand on a stage and talk about gender and sexuality issues, topics that are still generally considered taboo in modern society. That courage requirement comes on top of the normal courage requirement for presenting any piece of art, visual or otherwise, to the public. I admire and applaud this semester’s Feminist Voices artists, whether they were returning to the showcase after performing in the fall, like grad student Jessica Pleyel, or performing for the very first time, like Feminist Union President Nailah Roberts. Our performers tackled a slew of important feminist topics, from sexual harassment and assault to the harmful exclusivity of white feminism to society’s squeamishness about the word “period.” At intermission, everyone headed over to the gallery to study and admire the paintings, photos, and other art pieces set there, taking in messages about the necessity of feminism and of combatting violence against women.

That brings me to the other thing that I love about this showcase: the audience. It takes artists to put on a show, but it takes the people who attend the show to create such a safe and welcoming atmosphere. At a different event, pieces frankly addressing and confronting these controversial topics would be met with awkward silences, here they were greeted with nods, snaps, murmurs of approval, and whoops of applause from an audience of students, faculty, and community members. During intermission, several audience members tracked down the artists in the crowd and gathered around them to compliment their art and ask about their other works. The people who attended the Feminist Voices Showcase this year showed the artists that their voices deserve to be heard and validated their right to creatively express their feelings about the issues most important to them by listening and applauding. They were just as supportive and attentive as the people who greeted me three years ago. They always are.

Feminist Voices Spring 2016 Gallery Artists: Jessica Pleyel, Mackenzie Koehler, Sarah Shoemaker, JoJo Baccam

Feminist Voices Spring 2016 Performers: Elena Greene, Sabra Cacho, Laura Johnson, Stephenie Orte, Jessica Pleyel, Sophie Katz, Caitlyn Strack (Feminist Union Vice President), Carol McCarthy, Nailah Roberts