The ART of Infertility: Diversifying Expressions of Loss through Art & Creativity
Mentor 1
Maria Novotny
Start Date
16-4-2021 12:00 AM
Description
The ART of Infertility’s mission is to break the silence around the experiences of infertility, offering art and storytelling as therapeutic heuristics to capture and express the realities, pains, and joys of infertility for all people. Infertility is the result of a disease (an interruption, cessation, or disorder of body functions, systems, or organs) of the male or female reproductive tract which prevents the conception of a child or the ability to carry a pregnancy to delivery. The purpose of this research is to support the organization’s mission to create a diverse arts-based curriculum to improve communication about infertility. Using a feminist and queer intersectional methodology, this research project seeks to identify patients who are using art and creativity to represent diverse infertility experiences. The main sources used to attain these critical experiences are personal blogs, art, and writing pieces from those that have felt the realities, pains, and joys of infertility. Research findings advocate that arts-based methods can support fertility patients as they cope with the mental, physical, and emotional struggles of building their family. Taking an intersectional approach invites marginalized communities to speak on their experiences and create a space that is inclusive of their infertility journey. Infertility representation must expand beyond the normalized 'white, middle-class' representation it has taken on over the years. With that expansion, we can expect to see a positive impact on the inclusion of all people in the conversation and education surrounding the journey that is, infertility.
The ART of Infertility: Diversifying Expressions of Loss through Art & Creativity
The ART of Infertility’s mission is to break the silence around the experiences of infertility, offering art and storytelling as therapeutic heuristics to capture and express the realities, pains, and joys of infertility for all people. Infertility is the result of a disease (an interruption, cessation, or disorder of body functions, systems, or organs) of the male or female reproductive tract which prevents the conception of a child or the ability to carry a pregnancy to delivery. The purpose of this research is to support the organization’s mission to create a diverse arts-based curriculum to improve communication about infertility. Using a feminist and queer intersectional methodology, this research project seeks to identify patients who are using art and creativity to represent diverse infertility experiences. The main sources used to attain these critical experiences are personal blogs, art, and writing pieces from those that have felt the realities, pains, and joys of infertility. Research findings advocate that arts-based methods can support fertility patients as they cope with the mental, physical, and emotional struggles of building their family. Taking an intersectional approach invites marginalized communities to speak on their experiences and create a space that is inclusive of their infertility journey. Infertility representation must expand beyond the normalized 'white, middle-class' representation it has taken on over the years. With that expansion, we can expect to see a positive impact on the inclusion of all people in the conversation and education surrounding the journey that is, infertility.
