Meet the women bringing Grrrl Power to city

IT is safe to say that the 90s were invaded by an army of women who were out to promote girl power across the nation.

Although the phrase brought huge success to the Spice Girls, women are still struggling to compete with men in the arts world and the creative industries.

However, a group of Merseyside-based women are on a mission to spice up the lives of Liverpool locals.

Grrrl Power, which launched at Constellations last month, is a new initiative that aims to redress gender inequalities in contemporary art, literature and music.

Four women are behind the initiative – Olivia Graham, Michelle Houlston, Aoife Robinson and Becky Currie. The women are all in their 20s and have collective experiences both in and outside of the art sector as artists, writers, feminists and enthusiasts.

They are asking women of the city: Where do you find yourself in the arts? They are hoping that by channelling the 90s nostalgia of the Spice Girls, they can establish new environments for self-identified women to thrive creatively and combat underrepresentation in the art sector.

The gang, all based in Liverpool, wanted to promote the female talent in the city because of its vibrant and accessible art scene.

It said: “There is a wealth of talent in the region alongside a history of prosperous DIY movements and collectives.”

“Calling on personal experiences as a combination of practising artists, former students and working within arts organisations, we wanted to make a statement about a sector that we are passionate about but simultaneously feel let down by.”

Grrrl Power has worked with a number of talented female artists, including Ashley McGreary, Faux Queens aka Hannah Bitowksi & Amy Ryan-Brew, Imogen Woolley and Queen of the Track.

Grrrl Power said: “There is a fierce network of women in this city and it’s a privilege to have worked with so many of them.

“We’re fed up of archaic stereotypes that pitch women against one another. Contrary to these misconceptions, women can work together, learn from one another, be inspired and do great things in the process.”

Grrrl Power is planning more events in the region that will inspire more people to get involved in the arts and speak out against sexism.

It said: “People protest until they see change. We have a few ideas in development but central to them all is the ‘where’ and ‘how’ do you find yourself in the arts as a self-identified woman.

“As long as we continue to explore both gender-specific and non-gender-specific barriers across artistic mediums, we’re still working towards our mission of fair representation.”

This is just the beginning of Grrrl Power, but other cities in the UK can expect to hear about their work soon too.

It said: “We’re keen to collaborate both in and outside of Liverpool. There are so many amazing city-specific, women-led collectives in the UK right now and we’re all working towards the same goal.

“This is extremely promising in terms of re-addressing gender inequalities nationwide and there doesn’t have to be just one single organisation to do this – the more women that work together, the better.

“We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received and feel extremely positive about working to create more platforms for self-identified women. It is so important to equip more women with the confidence to express themselves creatively in the face of gender inequalities. This is just the start.”

Find out more about what Grrrl Power are doing and keep up to date with upcoming events on their Facebook page and their Twitter page.