Port Phillip Council will be marking International Women's Day (8 March 2021) and Woman's History Month (8 to 31 March 2021), by featuring women who have made a significant contribution to the City on posters around the municipality.
The women, selected by organisations approached by Council, hail from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as today, and have backgrounds in suffrage and political engagement, community and social services, education, entertainment and the arts.
The series of posters will be displayed in Port Phillip streets, cafes and businesses, and at Port Phillip Libraries, throughout Women's History Month and will feature a QR code, linking the community to each woman's biography. Artist Rubii Red was commissioned to design the background of the posters, which feature traditional First People's women's circles in purple, the colour of International Women's Day.
Mayor Louise Crawford said the public poster project was a fantastic way to engage and educate residents and visitors about some of the important women of Port Phillip. "Women have been underrepresented throughout history and International Women's Day and Women's History Month are great reminders of the many ways in which women have influenced the world around us, and how they continue to play an important role in our society. We're excited to connect our community to these stories, many of which have gone untold for too long," Cr Crawford said.
The posters are the result of the expansion of the Port Phillip Heritage Centre's International Women's day event and are an opportunity to utilise the collections of local cultural and historical groups, reconnecting them with the community and developing new audiences for upcoming programs.
"We're thrilled to see public art make a COVID-Safe comeback in 2021. The accessibility of the information being available through a QR code enables everyone in our community to find out about these fantastic women," Cr Crawford said.
