Hong Kong women artists have Wikipedia entries compiled
Group at City University compiles Wikipedia entries for 11 female arts figures
Hong Kong's women artists have been given their place in history thanks to an enthusiastic group of volunteer Wikipedia editors at City University, who marked International Women's Day yesterday.
Based on concerns that women and art history were both under-represented in the popular online encyclopedia, a group of about 20 volunteers came together to create and edit 11 entries for female artists who have made their mark on the local arts scene.
"The history is already there. You're just digitising it," said Vennesa Yung Chi-wei of the school of creative media.
The group worked off a list of significant artists compiled by art historian David Clarke, gleaning information from CVs, artist and gallery websites and books.
"The female artists I know prefer to remain low-profile. But if you're not recorded, you're not going to change what's going to happen in the future," said Ruby Lin Ka-tung, a human resources consultant.
Their efforts were part of a global push to have more women join the army of volunteers responsible for the creation and maintenance of the resource used by millions of people.