Variety show at Capitol Theatre to close Windsor's FEMeeting conference

Avariety show marking the finale for the first FEMeeting: Women in Art, Science and Technologyheld in Canada happens this Friday.

FEMeeting is an annual conference that brings together women from around the world to discuss ideas and technology at the intersection of the arts and sciences.

This year's conference,running from June 23 to 28, has a special emphasison the experiences of racialized, transgender and queer women, non-binarypeople andpeople with disabilities.

The conference comes to a close Friday with a variety show called Fems andGems,lead by local drag performer, Cole Fortier.

Fortier says he's excited to showcase the talent and diversity of Windsor residents. He's never performed at theCapitol Theatre but says it's "beautiful" and is "really looking forward to performing on that stage."

Afternoon Drive5:48Windsor hosts conference for women in arts and science

FEMeeting is an annual conference that brings together women from around the world to discuss the intersection of the arts and sciences. With Windsor selected as host city for 2024, guest host Travis Dolynny is joined by Domenica Mediati with the University of Windsor's 'incubator arts lab' and local drag performer Cole Fortier, who are both playing a role in helping to host the events of the week.

Another feature for the 2024edition of the conference was the inclusion of gallery exhibitions, film screening, workshop presentations and multimediaevents in the call for proposals from the organizers.

"We usually think of education and learning as a singular entity, when really most of the magic happens when we collaborate with different disciplines," said Domenica Mediati, one of the organizers of this year's conference.

Mediati is a sessional instructor in the Faculty of Education and School of Creative Arts at the University of Windsor and a team leader at the Incubator Art Lab. She's also an artist whose mediums include painting, drawing, digital animation, and bioart practices.

This is Mediati's first time involved with organizing the conference, though FEMeeting is in its fifth year and she has attended before.Shesays taking on this newrole has given her an opportunity to reflect on how "moving" the conference can be.

"These women are powerful beings that shed light on to many different areas within their research but also as human beings."

Another goal of Mediati's for this year's conference is to show off Windsor and its arts sceneto an international audience,

"I hope people see Windsor as a cultural hub," she added.

The Fems and Gems show is free to attendbut people must register online beforehand. Doors open at7 p.m, the show starts at7:30 p.m. and members most be 16 or older to attend.