Womanifesto

A woman’s revolution cannot exist without creating culture

Women Create International is that culture.

Women Create International exists for women and girls. A woman is a human female adult, our definition of a girl is a female who is pre-pubescent or is going through puberty.

We do not impinge upon the rights of others. We exist as a sex specific organisation.

We are grounded in women's freedom of thought, conscience and expression, as well as the broader women's liberation movement. Our underlying tenets are: broaden the sphere, engage in civil, robust debate and assertive discussion, and hold the line.

We are the world's first actively remedial organisation for females in the arts. We actively seek to re-platform women who have been de-platformed. Women are uniquely targeted in the art world based on their sex, their beliefs, and their sexual orientation. We highlight these women and their stories and seek to change the culture that is leading to their cancellation to ensure freedom in the art world. 

The arts are a place for freedom of thought, conscience and expression, and female artists should be free to explore their ideas. We believe that these explorations are better when the culture, globally, serves women, and actively work to create that culture where women are truly free. 

We do not engage in modesty culture and do not police women's appearances or pasts. We believe that women are free to make aesthetic choices even if other women disagree with them.

We are against baseless tribalism and groupthink, and welcome disagreement.

Our line is that women's liberation matters. We support the creation of art from women in all forms, even those we disagree with. We do not prevent women who would make works contrary to our own beliefs and ideals from turning up, even if their work falls outside our remit.

We believe in dissident artists and the right to dissent. As such, not every view held by women who we platform will agree with ours. It takes a broad church and discussions in order to advance.

We cannot advance if we operate in an echo chamber and actively platform debates and ideas that no other women's liberation or arts organisation would.

We actively create and host spaces for female artists, activists and creatives of myriad types to be showcased across the world, including, but not limited to: women who are engaged in women's liberation and activism, campaigners for women's rights, those who have creatively contributed to the cause, and female artists who have been cancelled, censored and silenced from the art world.

Even if you may create artworks that we personally would not platform, you still have a right to create them and attend our events. If your work falls outside of our remit, for example if you have not been cancelled or censored, we forward to other organisations.

We encourage outlier and outsider artists and creatives. Oftentimes, these women are both bright and ostracised.

We support emerging female artists who are by default shut out of mainstream art establishments.

We do not engage in negative social policing; the social policing instinct is weaponised against women in both the women's movement and broader arts and cultural worlds. This has previously turned women away from grassroots liberatory feminism. Instead of being used to hold people to account, it is used against women who are outliers, who do not quite fit in. In order for the global culture to become more positive and productive, this behaviour cannot continue. 

Women have the right to do and create things even if they’re bad for them if acting of their own volition, free of coercion, trafficking, trauma, conditioning and force. What we can do instead of policing and repression is give history, context and expose systemic issues and oppressions which can influence a women's choice.

We strive to sort out issues and disagreements as they arise, and have a Socratic Dialogue Facilitator in place to ensure that assertive conversation and resolution can happen. Assertive problem solving is the bedrock of creating a better culture for women, where social policing, whispers behind closed doors and cancellation are not the main currency. 

An organisation for women should be supportive. Many women who come to the movement or are in the arts have experienced trauma, some very severe. If a woman is having a traumatic response, she should not be penalised. We, instead, support open discussion, signpost to charities, organisations and groups that can help with women's mental health. We also work to support women doing often gruelling artistic, creative and activist work that requires mental resources as many find being in the fight actively retraumatising.

Disagreement and conflict are not abuse, and dissent is a human right.

Above all,

Be excellent to each other. 

©2024-2027 Women Create International and Victoria Gugenheim