In May, we’re heading to Advocacy Day for our fourth year. We know that there are many in the infertility community who would also like to attend, but find it difficult when they are already paying out of pocket to try to build their families.

So, this year, we’re offering a grant to allow a first-time attendee from an under-represented state to make the trip to attend this event, hosted by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

You can get all the details below. We hope that those of you eligible will apply, and that everyone will share the word with their online and in real life support groups, their clinics, families, and friends.

Details:

• The grant will cover airfare and ground transportation, lodging, and a stipend for meals.
• All eligible entries will be considered and staff from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association will choose the awardee.
• All information must be submitted by Tuesday, April 4th at 11:59pm EST and the grant recipient will be notified on, or before, April 12^th.

Eligibility Requirements:

• To be eligible, you must live in one of the following locations: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine,  Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
• You must also be able to travel to Washington, D.C. on May 16^th, 2017 and stay through the evening of May 18^th, 2017.
• Eligibility requires participation in all Advocacy Day activities, including physical assistance with a pop-up exhibit featuring Advocacy Day stories and artwork that will be curated by The ART of Infertility and on display during the welcome reception on Wednesday May 17^th.

To Enter:

Please fill out the following form: http://bit.ly/ADGrant_2017

About The ART of Infertility:

In March 2014, the first exhibit “The ART of IF: Navigating the Journey of Infertility” debuted at the Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson, MI. Elizabeth Walker curated this exhibit which emerged from her own experiences with infertility. In an effort to make sense of her infertility diagnosis and surround herself with people who understood the difficulties of navigating infertility, she joined an infertility support group and realized the importance of sharing her journey with infertility. She also began creating artwork representing infertility and with others in her infertility support group collected artwork and stories for the Ella Sharp exhibit. Shortly after its exhibition, Maria Novotny met Elizabeth at Advocacy Day, an annual event hosted by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, which lobbies Congress on access to care and other issues important to the infertility community. Both being from the state of Michigan, Elizabeth and Maria spent the day lobbying MI congressional representatives.

Spending time together, we shared how infertility was shaping not just our personal lives but professional ones as well. Maria explained that she was studying “rhetorics of infertility” as part of her PhD at Michigan State University. Elizabeth described how she was trying to bring the exhibit to other cities and collect more stories and artwork from around the country. We both shared a desire to become more involved in the infertility community and less concerned with becoming pregnant ourselves. We shared how we were finding our own healing in creative outlets and connecting with other infertile women and men. After the advocacy event, Maria sent Elizabeth some short non-fiction vignettes detailing the everyday struggles of being young, recently married and diagnosed with infertility. In turn, Elizabeth shared mixed media art pieces representing the pain, frustration and isolation of experiencing failed fertility treatments. Through this sharing, we both noted how central creativity was to our healing and, so, we decided to collaborate. Through this collaboration, we developed “The ART of Infertility” the national art, oral history and portraiture traveling exhibit.

Why Advocacy Day:

Advocacy Day holds a special place for The ART of Infertility. It is where Elizabeth and Maria first met and where the project really began to grow. Advocacy Day serves as a reminder of why we travel the world curating exhibits and raising infertility awareness. As two infertile women, however, we understand that affording Advocacy Day can be a challenge. This grant is aimed to provide support for an infertile person who would like to attend but could otherwise not afford to come. It is our hope to inspire another infertile person by granting them the opportunity to join hundreds of passionate women and men fighting for infertility justice.

Click here to learn more about Advocacy Day.

Questions can be directed to: info@artofinfertilty.org