When most people head to The Marquee Room, it isn’t to ponder feminism.

Once a little-known room on the second floor of the Uptown Stage and Screen, The Marquee Room is quickly distinguishing itself as an alternative dance club and live music venue. However, while it may seem like a regular weekend nightspot, The Marquee Room is taking “alternative” to heart with events like Hump Wednesdays, the gay and lesbian dance party “for those who don’t love gay bars” and a curated series of visual art.

The current show falls in line with the bar’s mould-breaking attitude. Curated by Juliet Burgess, Relevance of Feminism brings together over 15 mixed-media artists, tackling the themes of feminism and anti-sexism in a variety of paintings, photos, sculptures, animations and found objects. “As the project evolved, what became most interesting to me was people’s vastly different opinions of the word ‘feminism,’” says Burgess. “When some people think of feminism, they think of sex. Others think of wisdom and age, or things that are completely unsexual. I took pieces that challenged my views of feminism and that would challenge others as well.”

One of the featured artists, Rita Sirignano, heard about the exhibition while job searching on Craigslist. “I thought it was a good idea, because feminism has a bad rap,” she says. “It’s an F-word, especially talking to younger women about it, but I’ve always been proud to call myself a feminist.”

Sirignano, who typically works as an abstract painter, submitted a sculpture of an elaborately painted high chair. “For me, it embodies the dilemma I’ve had for my whole adult life, which is trying to be an artist versus trying to be a mother,” she says. Other exhibited pieces include a traditional Native American female headdress, mixed-media portraits created with old wallpaper, and an animation projected on The Marquee Room’s wall.

“The show was looking for work that interpreted the word ‘feminism,’ which to me has always meant legal equality and choice,” says Sirignano. “I don’t know what people think when they hear the word — maybe that you’re a ball-buster who hates men — but I’ve seen the effects of feminism in my lifetime. I remember in high school, prior to Roe V. Wade, I had friends who thought they were pregnant throwing themselves off a fence, numerous times, because they didn’t want to have a baby at 16. Nobody really thinks about feminism anymore, and I think it ought to be thought about. We take for granted a lot of things that we shouldn’t.”

Part of the excitement for the participating artists is the fact that the show is taking place in a bar, rather than in a typical gallery space. “I like the idea of showing in non-gallery spaces,” says Sirignano. “You have the chance of people interacting with the art who would never otherwise see it.”

Burgess hopes that the show will attract a diverse crowd. “Ideally, it will reach people who already know and care about the issue, and also the Friday night crowd that doesn’t necessarily spend a lot of time thinking about it,” she says. “I like that the word ‘feminism’ creates some sort of shock or interest, that it’s slightly controversial. I really hope the show will promote discussion. Feminism hasn’t lost its relevance at all, but the word is changing. I hope we can help people to think about those different interpretations.”