Lowe After Hours combines social justice, carbs at Feminist Pizza Party 4.0

Madelyn Paquette // Contributing Photographer

Let’s face it, a trip to the art museum reminds most of us of dull elementary school field trips during which we counted the minutes until lunch. But what if visiting the museum included pizza, cocktails, a DJ and making art, all with a side of social justice? On April 6, visitors at the Lowe got a taste of a different kind of art experience at the Feminist Pizza Party 4.0.

The pizza party was one of the Lowe After Hours events, which take place on the first Thursday of each month. Past events have included guided tours of the museum, original monologues based on selected pieces and live music. This month, EXILE Books, a not-for-profit pop-up Miami bookstore, which has been in residency at the Lowe since October, hosted a radical zine workshop as the centerpiece of the event.

Event-goers engaged in conversation about feminism in art history, purchased locally-made zines and made their own collage art slices for an Intersectional Pizza Pie, which will be archived in UM’s Special Collections.

Madelyn Paquette // Contributing Photographer

“For every project and residency we take on, we like to circulate local artists work and help them get their voices across,” explained EXILE Books employee Elia Khalaf. “An event like this empowers everybody to craft their own thing.”

EXILE’s residency at the Lowe focuses on the theme of “The ID Project,” centering on identity and representation as expressed through art. Feminist Pizza Party 4.0 was an introduction to the project that EXILE hopes will serve as outreach to students interested in these issues.

“We’re trying to one raise awareness that the Zine Fair will be happening on the UM campus on April 22, engage students on a more direct level and also get people excited about the DIY publications, small print press and local artists,” said EXILE Books employee Sara Darling.

EXILE has been hosting Feminist Pizza Parties since 2015. The April 6 party was the fourth event, hence the “4.0.”

“I started it with my friend Lauren Monzon,” said Sue Montoya, one of the creators of Feminist Pizza Parties. “One day we were having pizza with the EXILE women and we were talking about feminism, and we came up with this idea ‘What if we had a feminist pizza party? Wouldn’t it be great if we could change the conversation?’”

With pizza and scissors in hand, students, Lowe members and community members expressed themselves through art and conversation.

To keep up with EXILE Books, head to Miami Zine Fair 2017, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 22 at the Lowe as a part of O, Miami Poetry Festival.