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The Birth Art Project: Art Workshop Engages the Community to Rethink Society’s Perception of Birth
Birth is recognized across cultures as an important rite of passage, except in American society. We acknowledge when someone passes away, we celebrate those who get married and even lovingly honor the fetus growing within; but there is not a ceremony that openly acknowledges, celebrates nor honors the woman whom gives birth. We quietly say she had her baby not she gave birth.
Judy Chicago, artist, feminist, educator and intellectual initiated a body of worked entitled Birth Project where she created multiple images of birth using traditional women’s craft of needlework. She found after much research, she couldn’t find any images of birth in contemporary art. Through the Birth Project, Judy Chicago addressed the fact that “few images of birth existed in Western art, a puzzling omission as birth is a central focus of many women's lives and a universal experience for all humanity, as everyone has been born”.
Following Judy Chicago’s legacy, Birth Without Boundaries, International (BWB) is offering a series of workshops that explore birth themes through art. The workshops utilize mixed-media visual art to express women’s authentic perception of birth. As a transformative art series, the workshops implicate both traditional artistic and personal empowerment through art. Most importantly, the series offers strong opportunity for a visual discussion about contemporary women’s perception of birth.
BWB is an international organization that exists to eliminate restrictions imposed on birthing women and their babies. Birth Without Boundaries works with other organizations to form a global network to connect mothers and babies to supportive care. (For more information, please go to www.birthwithoutboundaries.com or www.myspace.com/birthwithoutboundaries.)
What is unique about this workshop series is its unusual approach. Conceived and lead by Nataki McNeal Bhatti, a community artist, painter, activist and writer who upholds the principle of art-as-a-verb, the Birth Art Project evolves to meet the needs of the community. Held in both traditional and nontraditional locations like community centers, private homes and even coffee shops, the Birth Art Project invites the community to define where the workshop will take place, the type of art created and its content. The art created in the workshop is secondary to the creative process and the fellowship. As a transformative tool, the workshop encourages and supports the raw truth of birth to be openly shared.
Visual communications and literacy is the forefront of our internet and media based culture. The Birth Art Project seeks to reveal contemporary archetypes related to birth literally and metaphorically. All are invited to submit works, both visual and written to our site so a larger community can experience the profound importance of birth. Later, selected works will be exhibited in various community-based exhibitions. And, we will create alternative chat book publications to support and inspire all who have given birth, want to birth or who have been born or born again.
Lesson plans and approaches are available to the public, the Birth Art Project encourages other communities to hold birth art workshops and share their works. Presently, there is open call to schedule workshops until August. Invite us and we will be there!
This project is gratefully supported by a grant from the Jump Street / Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) – Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) Program. For more information on submission guidelines or to schedule a workshop email [email protected] an in-home class or join us for existing workshops (more dates and locations added soon):May 3rd, 2008 YMCA East Shore, Harrisburg May 17th, 2008 YMCA East Shore, Harrisburg *Childcare provided at all locationsMessage us for more any more information or details!!