MOUNT VERNON — Folk-pop artist Erin McKeown will headline WAGStock, a new spring arts festival Saturday, May 12, at Cornell College. The festival theme is “Celebrating Women in all Their Endeavors.”
Events run from 1 to 9:30 p.m. Admission is free. WAGStock is sponsored by the Cornell student organization Womyn’s Action Group (WAG), which focuses on empowerment through activities related to women’s issues. Last year WAG sponsored a women’s conference, “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For,” which featured feminist and writer Rebecca Walker as keynote speaker.
Musicians and other acts will perform on the lawn between Alumni Hall and the Richard and Norma Small Multi-Sports Center, with McKeown taking the stage at 8 p.m. Julie Jurgens, a senior from Thomson, Ill., opens at 1 p.m. followed by other acts periodically throughout the afternoon. Featured entertainers include Kathryn Muselik from Iowa City; Selby Tiger from the Twin Cities; and belly dancers. In case of rain, performances will be in The Commons.
McKeown, a senior at Brown University, mixes folk, rock, jazz and blues songs, accompanied by her guitar. She earned nominations for outstanding new singer-songwriter and top jazz album (“Distillation”) at the Boston Music Awards. She plays before packed clubs on the East Coast and has toured recently as the opener for Ani DiFranco. Some critics say McKeown is reminiscent of Edie Brickell.
Art will be on exhibit in The Commons art gallery and Lytle House. Local artists include Lynn Seydel, pottery; Ruth Ipsan-Brown, sandcasting; Molly Thompson, pastel art; and Deb Goodlove, beading. Cornell student artists include Becky Popelka, Monica Anderson, Genevieve Lally-Knuth, Lindsay McBride, Jenny Schneidman, Val Gamble, Marie Griffin and Joanna Noyer. Necklaces and pottery created by Nicaraguan women will be on display and for sale.
Several area businesses and organizations that provide services to women will have information stations at WAGStock including the Emma Goldman Clinic; Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa; Natural Touch Boutique and EmBody Health, both demonstrating massages; certified nurse midwives and a birth attendant; and the Catherine McAuley Center for Women in Cedar Rapids.
For more information on WAGStock, e-mail womynsactiongroup@hotmail.com, or contact Amy Audetat, 895-8071.