The artist Jennifer Weigel writes,
I am a visual artist in St. Louis, Missouri, and have been making art
about (and sometimes using) menstruation in order to raise cultural awareness
and lessen the social stigma associated with it, although I create other
types of work as well. I've included some information on the Menstruation
series that I have compiled. My Menstruation series has been shown
in upstate New York, although I have (as expected) run into several roadblocks
in regards to getting this work shown. There are also other pieces
about menstruation involving acrylic stained clothing and the like, but
they haven't been shown as of yet.
Anyway, I love your website and thought that this series of my work seems
relevant, so I've since decided to share it with you. You're welcome
to check out some of my other work anyway, if you're curious. Also,
you should look up Vanessa Tiegs' blood moon paintings - they're just great.
Anyway, thanks so much for MUM - great idea and an inspiration to us
all.
Jennifer Weigel
visual artist
http://home.earthlink.net/~cwilbur202/
Description of Work (from the Menstruation series):
This is a series of bodily function monoprints made in Jan. 2005. First
thing each morning during the week of my monthly period, I pressed my menstrual
vagina to the watercolor paper to make these prints. Due to the somewhat
unpredictable nature of this exercise, each piece is its own unique experience,
although the method and materials remain the same throughout. However,
they still form a cohesive whole.
Artist's Statement on Menstruation (from her experiences):
Menstruation is still a fairly taboo topic. It is often an avoided
aspect of a woman's existence even though PMS is blamed for all sorts of
angry outbreaks and mood swings, many of which have nothing to do with it. Since
it is a culturally taboo topic, menstruation doesn't often appear in conversation
except in certain types of gross-out humor and among groups of women, who
sometimes have chat sessions comparing their experiences.
A girl's first period is often a dreaded part of parenthood, since her
body is asserting that she is, in fact, growing up. She is no longer
a little girl and could now even have a baby of her own. As a result,
this major life change is not readily celebrated as a step towards womanhood,
and, like many other bodily changes, it can bring shame or guilt instead.
Most women try to conceal any evidence that they are on "that time
of the month." Some wear padded mattresses in their panties to
collect any evidence, shameful of any seepage that might occur. Others
discreetly dash into the store to buy a box of tampons, often burying it
among other items or using the self-checkout. A few even limit their
attire and their activities so that they are unlikely to encounter any embarrassing
incidents.
Some women have sought ways to better understand their bodies and their
menstrual cycles as a decisive step towards celebrating womanhood. Several
women have made "blood moon paintings" by collecting and using
their menstrual blood, most notably including Vanessa Tiegs, who keeps an
ongoing journal of paintings.
While continuing to redefine the idea of art and artmaking, I am also
seeking to help demystify this process of the female body. By making art
about menstruation and even using the by-products of this natural occurrence,
I also hope that I might encourage more women to find ways to celebrate
their own cycles through art.
She later wrote,
In regards to my limitations showing this work, I have submitted it to
a local art party celebrating women in the arts multiple times now, but
it hasn't been accepted as part of the exhibited work. They have shown
some fairly provocative work, often centered on cultural perceptions of
beauty and body image, so I was surprised that they didn't jump on the opportunity
to show these pieces. I'll probably try again, for the third time, this
year, though. They get different jurors each time, so it's just a matter
of time. And I don't hold it against the show, since there are so
many great pieces of art out there, and I know that a lot of really relevant
pieces are rejected from shows simply because there isn't enough space to
show them all. I have also tried to find venues to show some of my
other pieces about menstruation to little avail, but I'll keep on trying. It
always depends on what has been submitted and on how open-minded the gallery
is. The more subtle pieces tend to do better. I have managed to
show some of these works in upstate New York, however. And I've shown
some menstruation jewelry wherein I used beads to symbolize different days
of the month, with unakite representing ovulation (since it is often associated
with fertility and rebirth) and various light brown and red beads of different
sizes and shapes to depict the menstrual cycle itself. These pieces
were so popular once the symbology behind them was explained that they were
purchased before the show even opened! (They required an explanation
simply due to their subtlety.)
It seems to me that, in regards to the topic of menstruation, a lot of
people would rather simply look the other way and not have to think about
it or be confronted by it. I think that's part of why I'm finding it difficult
to show some of these works, because they're controversial even though they
really shouldn't be. But I feel that until women learn to accept every
aspect of their bodies and embrace their coming of age into womanhood, they
can't ever really appreciate what it means to be a woman. We need to
learn to celebrate ourselves and our bodies, not hide from them.
I create other sorts of artwork as well, but I prefer to make artwork
that causes people to think and not just more pretty pictures. If you
want, you can look at some of my other work on my website at http://home.earthlink.net/~cwilbur202/ I've
been planning to create a subsection in mixed media for my art about menstruation,
but it's simply been too long since I updated the site and I haven't gotten
around to it yet. I'm hoping to get some of these pieces photographed
and uploaded in the not-too-distant future, once I find the time between
shows.
Anyway, I have attached the first three pieces (Days 1 - 3) from the
Menstruation series, as noted in my earlier email. As anticipated,
they have darkened a bit with age, so if I were to scan the other 3 now,
they wouldn't match. Day 3 is probably my personal favorite because
it looks like a rather eloquent abstract painting. If you are interested
in seeing some images of some of my other work about menstruation, I can
shoot some digital photos and email them. One piece is a physical manifestation
of a woman's Coming of Age. The next main piece in this series is still
in its formative stages, though, but it will be a design for a site-specific
installation. If the piece is accepted and actually installed for the show,
I'll let you know and will email photos. Also, once you acquire a physical
space in which to house the museum, let me know as I would love to donate
a piece of work.
If you get the opportunity, you should really look into Vanessa Tiegs'
work and see if she wouldn't mind for you to link to her site somewhere
or to interview her for the museum (if you can still find her website -
it keeps moving around). Her paintings are stunningly beautiful.
Thanks so much for putting together such a wonderful museum and record
of how we perceive of menstruation in different cultures. It is an
invaluable resource. I am looking forward to perusing the rest of
the site when I get the opportunity - there is a huge font of information
there! I have already emailed it to several friends of mine whom I
thought would greatly appreciate it as well. Anyway, take care and
thanks again.
- Jennifer
NEXT page of Jennifer Weigel's work.
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