When Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder ran for president in 1986, she realized it was purely her gender that set her apart in an industry overflowing with testosterone.

“I have brains and a uterus, and I use both,” she told The New York Times.

Although Schroeder withdrew from the race, she represented the newest breed of females, a class proud of womanhood, willing to take risks and eager to divulge her talents to surrounding communities.

In accordance with International Women’s Day, held every March 8 to honor the contributions of women around the world, SF State’s Women's Center held an all-female arts festival from March 5 through March 8 to expose the female talents of the university, celebrate the holiday and pay tribute to women like Schroeder who have redefined gender roles and elevated the status of females across the globe.

The “Women’s in the Arts” festival marked the first of its kind at the university, boasting a variety of arts and crafts from SF State female artists including original paintings, photography, clothing, sculpture, jewelry, zines and live performances.

“It was necessary to put something together to express women artistically to the university,” said director of the program and American studies major Emmy Highsmith, 22.

Highsmith and three other females in the Women’s Center organized the entire show, compiling about 25 student artists through fliers and open-calls, giving opportunities to anyone and everyone, under one condition: they had to be a female.

“If you are a woman and have any kind of art — come on down,” said senior assistant director Paty Castaneda, 23, who is double majoring in creative arts and sociology.

According to Castaneda, the festival was broken into two parts: display art, which was exhibited all day on March 5, 6 and 7 in the Richard Oakes Multicultural Center on the third floor of the Cesar Chavez Student Center, and live performances on March 8 in Malcolm X Plaza.

Lisa Enright, 24, handcrafted her beaded jewelry especially for the event.

“Although I make pieces I wouldn’t necessarily wear, I know that they will align with different energies. I’m passionate about manifesting the earth’s energy and want [my work] to be beautiful and powerful at the same time” said Enright, who is earning her master’s in education and holistic health.

“Plus, I love to accessorize,” she laughed.

In addition to arts and crafts, the live performances aimed to reach the greater student body and featured future SF State student DJ Ninika and an open-mic session for any woman who wanted to show her talents.

Undeclared freshman Cecilia McLaren, 18, was one of the first to participate and performed "Three Fazes of the Female Dilemma,” a spoken-word poem that she had written in response to the hyper-sexualized stereotypes concerning women of color.

“From beginning to end, [the poem] is about how most women get to a certain point in life and then get stuck,” said McLaren. “Women aren’t always recognized for all of the glorious things they can do.”

Marketing major and current junior ASI representative Natalie Franklin also voiced her opinion on stage with an impromptu poem entitled “A Man’s World.”

“This is a man’s world and I live by his rules and I’m forced to use his tools,” said Franklin, 20, who later enjoyed the remainder of the show amongst friends.

“This is such a good event that uplifts women,” she said.

Senior Talia Taylor, a double major in creative writing and Africana studies, observed the performances behind a wooden table next to the stage, where she displayed her original clothing line to female students.

“I’ve always had a passion for design,” said Taylor, 22, who exhibited edgy silkscreen hoodies, T-shirts and blazers in accordance with the celebration.

Taylor hoped the event would bring exposure to female contributions in all communities.

‘‘This is a very interesting day, month for that matter,” Taylor said. “I’m a woman everyday and it’s sad that more people aren’t educated about [the holiday].”

About 60 students, both male and female, observed the performances, which were amidst clear sunlight and colorful streamers that the Women’s Center had carefully decorated earlier that day.

“It’s wonderful to see such a rich diversity of student artists and audience members and know that the lessons can extend beyond the classroom, such as moments like these," said ethnic studies and human sexuality lecturer Jordan Gonzales, 27.

Senior BECA major Erick Morales, 26, agreed the honor was in order, “There shouldn’t just be one day dedicated to women, we owe our life to women. We should celebrate it consistently."

The show ended with Castaneda’s rendition of “Mariposa,” a Mayan reincarnation song that she dedicated to her mom.

''The event went OK, I guess,'' said Castaneda looking back at the festival. “We were expecting to have a spoken-word artist come from San Diego, but they couldn’t and the DJ was stuck in traffic, so she came an hour late.”

Next year, Castaneda plans on holding another event in accordance with Women’s Day, but thinks modifications and improvements need to be made, hoping to include more women outside of the campus community through more advertising efforts.

“We know everyone out there has a certain artistic talent and women need to bring it out and show it!” she said.