Come celebrate women in all their glory April 16, 2009, 8-5pm at St.Cajetans at Metropolitan( Metro) State College by participating in a free day long symposium ,  Wise Women of the South West. This collaborative effort between the Colorado Folk Arts  Council and Metro-State College has been awarded a Colorado Humanities/ National Endowment for the Humanities  grant for 2009 and is open to the public.

Included in the day long events will be  continental breakfast,  a  panel discussions about  wise women ( elders) roles in society, a catered lunch with  live music by Asia Jazz Project and Molina Soleil ,a pottery display of sacred  Mana by  Arizona  Anne Zapf,  community information booths,  workshops with Corn Mothers and Corn Maidens,  and a grand fiesta at 4-5pm featuring LA based artist Michael Heralada with his award winning Aztec Stories performance.

 The symposium was inspired by the popular   University of Colorado Museum of Natural History , exhibition  Return of the Corn Mothers; A photo journal exhibition of  South West Women that runs through March 31, 2009. Corn Mothers in some  Pueblo myths were said to  were said to have sung in the essence of all creation including the sacred Katchinas. Touted as one of the most unique exhibitions to come out of Colorado, the focal point of the show is a photo exhibition of women who have earned accolades for their community activism and creative endeavors. Each featured woman also recounts in story form their memories of the women who influenced them in their life journey. The photo exhibition will also be part of the Wise Women  symposium.

 “This is a symposium where these women tell their stories and the stories of their own women. They represent a powerful force that permeates every part of our society on all levels, yet at times are minimilazied because their professions are not always compensated with large monetary sums.  These are the women whose voices we never hear because they speak in a language we have forgotten. This is a tribute to those unsung who have given so much and asked so little.” Said Renee  Fajardo the symposium co-coordinator.
Community organizations are encouraged to attend the event and set up table space. For more information call 720-329-0869 or e-mail reneefaja@hotmail.com.  Visit http://www.ahec.edu/campusmaps/AHEC3D.pdf  for directions to St. Cajetans. Families are encouraged to attend and  table space is available for non profit organizations.
For more information  on tables call Todd Pierson at 720-217-6296.