PUBLICATIONS
"Hairpiece II" in "INFERTILITIES: A CURATION", book published by Wayne State University Press.
INFERTILITIES: A CURATION A book of text and artworks intended to capture and express the realities, pains, and joys of infertility. This project recognises the diverse voices and perspectives that represent infertility. Published in print and digital formats by Wayne State University Press in late 2023.
30/09/2023
Infertilities: A Curation - Hairpiece - Sally Butcher
Honoured to have been asked to submit to "INFERTILITIES: A CURATION". Edited by Elizabeth Horn, Maria Novotny and Robin Silbergleid, published by Wayne State University Press in Autumn 2023.
A collection of art, writing, and stories from Infertility advocates across the world.
"This daring collection harnesses the power of the arts to dismantle isolation and stigma, letting the light shine through to reveal hidden layers of the infertility experience. With its diverse voices and vignettes, Infertilities, A Curation deepens our understanding of infertility's profound and complex reverberations." Laura Seftel, LMHC, ATR-BC, art therapist, author of Grief Unseen: Healing Pregnancy Loss through the Arts, and founder of The Secret Club Project: Artists on Pregnancy Loss.
This extremely important book is linked to the powerful work by The ART of Infertility: a national arts organisation based in Michigan and Wisconsin, US. Founded in 2014, they curate innovative and emotionally provoking art exhibits to portray the realities, pains and joys of living with IF. They also design engaging curriculums to host art and writing workshops; plan educational, outreach events; advocate for infertility rights and provide support for those living in the shadows of infertility. Through art, they break the silence around reproductive grief and push back against common misconceptions, to make infertility visible.
Hairpiece II, Collagraph with human hair, 2014
"...These pieces were often reminiscent of female reproductive organs, but now I see more readily the layers of entrapment alongside fragility, representative of my own embodied vulnerability at the time."
Big thank you to Maria Nvotny for asking me to be part of this groundbreaking project.
#infertilities #infertilityawareness #artofif #infertility #infertilityart #sallybutcher #sallybutcherart
Review by: Mari Carlson
After their experiences with infertility, Elizabeth Horn, Maria Novotny, and Robin Silbergleid put together Infertilities, A Curation, a collection of essays, art, and poetry on the subject.
Prior to the COVID-19 shutdowns, the ART of IF (a play on Artificial Reproductive Technologies of Infertility) put on pop-up exhibitions of work by people experiencing infertility. Expanding those exhibitions from live events into a lasting one, this book counters the silence around infertility, which suggests that the issue is less pervasive than it is. With pieces from over 60 contributors from diverse backgrounds, the book captures myriad ways of expressing feelings surrounding infertility.
These contributors visualize and relate their feelings with compelling rawness. They correct words in use in the public sphere, including "implanting" and "embryo," in the context of personal experiences, raising awareness around misconstrued concepts. And the book's delicate page layouts, with art and poetry placed between essays and blank pages between sections, gives space to each piece's unique sensitivities. There are artist statements alongside the book's sculptures, mixed media projects, comics, and paintings too.
Herein, personal anecdotes become objects for public witness. As they are treated seriously as art, the pieces issue serious messages and demand empathetic responses. Many feature eggs, wombs, and children, but several make use of the equipment and medication used in in-vitro treatments to comment on the experience of loss and feelings of displacement. There's coverage of mistreatment in doctors' offices and in encounters with pregnant women. While many of the entries are raw, angry, and sad, comics and poems are present to lightening effect too. The result is a developed dialogue between the viewer and their own body and thoughts, in harmony with the self-reflective works presented.
Grown out of support groups, Infertilities, A Curation is an interactive artistic collection that nurtures healing and acknowledges pain.
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