Wow! Where has summer gone?
Here, at The ART of Infertility, we kicked off the bbq and beach season in Los Angeles. There, we worked with One More Shot and The Turek Clinics to host a Men’s Health Month exhibit “Reimagining Reproduction”.
Our poster for the Los Angeles exhibit, “Reimagining Reproduction”.
It was in LA that we came across one of these unique finds: a full size mailbox! We sent Elizabeth’s mom, Judy, to downtown LA to pick up the box and drive it back to the gallery in Venice. We had learned from the prior owner that the mailbox originally came from Wisconsin and was later driven out to LA. After using it in our LA exhibit, we decided to return it back to the midwest and ship it to Michigan.
That leaves us to an announcement. Inspired by the mailbox and wanting to incorporate it into the project, we are announcing a new sub-project with The ART of Infertility.
The Infertile Post is an infertility and reproductive loss community art space. The word “post” is a play on announcements we receive in the mail such as holiday cards featuring Norman Rockwell-esque portraits of families with children, perhaps celebrating a new addition to the family. “Post” also recalls ideas of a newspaper or online posted space — the idea of sharing stories as a collective series of voices and perspectives.
The Infertile Post invites individuals to write posts – large or small – and send them to us (yes, snail mail!). We will then share your post with our fellow infertility community via art exhibitions and online gallery spaces. Our objective in this project is (a) to offer a space free of judgment for those dealing with infertility or reproductive loss where they can write and express themselves, and (b) showcase a collective series of viewpoints and experiences that are shaped by infertility and/or reproductive loss.
So send us your mail! Really!
Send us your “infertile post”!
A Few Q & As to Guide Your Participation
Do I need to sign my post?
No, individuals can choose to identify how they please. They may use their own name, a pseudonym, or simply not sign it all.
Where do I send my post?
The ART of Infertility
℅ The Infertile Post
P.O. 1110
Jackson, MI 49204
What are some example posts?
“A Letter to My Fertile Friend”
“A Letter to My Unborn Baby”
“Dear Period, you suck.”
“Dear Bank Account, I’m broke.”
“A Letter to Your Doctor”
“A Letter to Your Younger Self ‘Pre-Infertility'”
“A Letter to Your Legislator”
“A Letter to your Infertility Hero”
“A Letter from the Stirrups”
Etc.
Will my post be returned to me?
Unfortunately, no. We want to document and create an archive of these posts and plan to keep the physical versions for exhibition.
How long should my post be?
As long as you want! This is your post so it can be as long or as short as you want. The point for us is that the post serves as a place for you to express yourself and get your energy out! You do not have to be the most eloquent writer in the world, nor have the letter be grammatically correct. We just want to give you a space to think about an experience (good, bad, frustrating, happy, whatever) that documents living with infertility or reproductive loss.
Is this different than participating in The ART of Infertility?
Yes and no. This is a sub-project of The ART of Infertility. We expect to feature these posts in upcoming exhibits. We also want to feature online galleries of these posts, similar to a digital archive. In many ways, think of this project as an extension of what we, The ART of Infertility, already do — fuse creativity and experiences of reproductive loss together! Why? Because art and writing heal.