︎

ADELE
PATRICK



    

The Superpower of Feminist Leadership: How Museums Can Feel the Force?

Museums Association Conference
November 2020



Delivered a session with Sharon Heal  addressing the term ‘feminist’ and the  challenges and paradox, of new progressive leadership styles drawing on feminist approaches such as group work, inclusivity and ethics of care and yet finding very little use of the word throughout the sector. 

Anchored in hope, and the endurance in and the impatience for change we asked participants to share definitions and demands  of feminist leadership.

Alongside this we shared different approaches of feminst leaders to catalyse the power of feminist leadership for individuals within their personal, public and professional lives. 
Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 1: Reads 'The Super Power of Feminist Leadership: how can museums feel the force? Adele Patrick & Sharon Heal' 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 2: Reads 'Adele Patrick, A Feminist Leader, Co founder and Creative Development Manager at Glasgow Women's Library, @womenslibrary. Researching Feminist Leadership.' 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 3: Reads 'Where out feminism is coming from?' Image of a tweet 'The Women's Organisation: What made you a feminist? Two words'. 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 4: Reads 'Feminism rooted in a personal and political recognition of inequality. Answers to previous question including, Rachel Thain-Gray "torn between a) structural inequality and b) dickheads (cos it's both)"' 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 5: Reads 'What do we want to activate in this session. Discussion on feminist leadership. Defining feminist leadership. Owning, relinquishing and sharing leadership power. Making feminist leadership demands of ourselves and others.' 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 6: Reads 'Some feedback on (Feminist) Leadership from you… [Poll conducted here…and findings discussed later ] Do you use the term ‘feminist’ in any of your professional profiles? Yes/No? Do you routinely use the term ‘leader’ to describe yourself? Yes/No? Do you use the term ‘feminist leader’ to describe yourself? Yes/No? Have you benefitted from the feminist leadership of others? Yes/No?' 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 7: Reads 'Defining (the need for) Feminist Leadership Moving Mountains, Visioning Intersectional Feminist Leadership https://womenslibrary.org.uk/2020/03/02/moving-mountains-visioning-intersectional-feminist-leadership/' 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 8: Reads 'What is Feminist Leadership?: some definitions. To address a need ‘to reorient and reimagine the institution’ according to the political imperatives of feminism.’ Aruna D’Souza in ‘Float the Boat!: finding a place for feminism in the museum’, in Modern Women, Women Artists at the Museum of Modern Art, ed. by Cornelia Butler and Alexandra Schwartz, 2010'. 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 9: Reads 'What is Feminist Leadership?: some definitions. ‘We need. . . a new vision, a new definition of power and leadership. We must go away from the old model and toward one of creative cooperation on our small and threatened planet. The world needs women to imagine, define, and lead us toward a sane and sustainable culture. A culture of soul. A culture that values life more than war. People more than profits. And hope more than despair.’ Johnnetta Cole, Director of Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art, 2004.' 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 10: Reads 'What is Feminist Leadership?: some definitions. ‘Patriarchy, reflected through all the structures and institutions of our world, is a system that glorifies domination, control, violence, competitiveness and greed. It dehumanizes men as much as it denies women their humanity. So we need leadership that will explore and expose these links and challenge patriarchy. The only leadership that does this is feminist leadership. Transformational leadership is leadership concerned with causing social change; feminist transformational leadership is concerned with achieving gender justice. For feminist transformational leadership, leaders need to undergo a process of personal transformation, consciousness-raising and internalization of feminism.’ Srilatha Batliwala, ‘Feminist Leadership for Social Transformation: Clearing the Conceptual Cloud’ 2010' 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 11: Reads 'Some of my own current Feminist Leadership Demands. Use the term Feminist Leadership when this is called for and where it has impact. Honour and cite and bring to the fore other Elders and appreciate how you can learn from the anger, honesty and kindness of women, non-binary and trans people of all ages. Appreciate that Black and Brown women and women from the Global South are in the vanguard of understanding and modelling (of feminist) leadership and ensure that they are centred and cited. , Respect and expect Respect. Take courage and hope from the diversity and the continuum of Feminist Leadership. Identify and work against divisional behaviours, structures and thinking. Advocate for and practice kindness. Make sure y/our professional and personal ‘go to’ people include those who know most about how it feels to have been marginalised.' 2020. Extracts from MA presentation. Slide 12: 'Thank you. Adele Patrick @AdelePatrickGWL Sharon Heal @Sharonheal www.womenslibrary.org.uk @womenslibrary www.mspaceinvaders.com @MSpaceInvaders'. 2020.