The HBAC Performance Manifesto was written from my personal experience of being pregnant and not given access to a home birth or the birthing centre. Having previously had a caesarean, I was labelled ‘high risk’ and was not being heard. On 4th and 5th November 2018, over 25 hours, I performed the act of giving birth at home with the support of two independent midwives. The birth was documented as an act of everyday life in the domestic space, with cameras set up in my kitchen, my bedroom and my living room. The Manifesto declares my views on birth as an every day performance and Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) as being a safe birth.
Author Archives: MOM
Welcome Autumn Interns: Back to School
This September the Museum of Motherhood is extremely pleased to welcome Jade Jemison and Tori Wright to our fall semester team. Please join us in our growing excitement to get to work on some great new projects in grant writing and art-sourcing as we dive into more about moms’ lives and work.
Pandemic Parenting with Amy Swartz & The Drawing Board, by Rachael Grad
The Drawing Board is a collective – We are pleased to feature their work as part of our Pandemic Parenting exhibit online at MoM. The Drawing Board found themselves effected by the political issues, intense atmosphere, power structure, and inequity in University meetings. Afterward, they doodled intensely as a creative and healthy way to safely process. They used the fodder and energy to make work examining the tensions among creative people within a bureaucracy that guides teachers. Play with grids and office supplies countered notions of about superstructure.
Pandemic Parenting Interview with Batnadiv Hakarmi, by Rachael Grad
I was teaching before the pandemic in 3 different places. During the pandemic, it was a real struggle to teach on zoom with kids at home. I didn’t go back to teaching until after lockdown was over because it was too difficult to get childcare. I used to teach art at Brandeis University in the summer and I really miss it. I found there isn’t that much flexibility in teaching so between lockdowns and quarantines, I transitioned to giving workshops and doing freelance editing. The work does take away from my art practice – it’s a constant juggle to make time and space. From the online exhibit: Pandemic Parenting, organized by Rachael Grad for the Museum of Motherhood.