Mother.Culture.Art Exhibit

Check out this new art exhibit featuring the many facets of breastfeeding. It's in California, but you can take a "virtual tour" as well. (Click on the mother.culture.art image).

Here is information from the press release:

On display through October 3, 2007 in Auburn, California

The Arts Building
808 Lincoln Way
Auburn, CA 95603
Phone (530) 885-5670

Auburn, California June 22, 2007: "Mother Culture," the socially influenced breastfeeding photo exhibition, will be unveiled during Breastfeeding Awareness Month, beginning August 9, 2007 through October 3, 2007, subsequent dates/venues will be announced soon.

Following her successful solo exhibition debut "Road to Reality" at Capitol Public Radio's Second Saturday Event in October 2006, the focus of Rachel Valley's work turned to the social examination of the attitudes toward breastfeeding in modern times. "MOTHER.CUTURE.ART" blends the beauty and challenge of establishing and maintaining a healthy dyad and an acceptable outward nursing relationship. The exhibition's subject matter is currently a charged one, with old cultural attitudes clashing with modern sensibility. Rachel Valley's portraits touch upon nursing in public, "extended breastfeeding", the family bed, and the sexualized breast co-existing with the nurturing breast, amongst other timely issues therein. The exhibition will begin August 9 in Auburn, CA and will travel afterward.

Rachel feels fortunate to have been given this platform of art and discussion to widen the eyes of our communities, to the tightrope a mother walks when making the conscious decision to feed her child's nutritional and emotional needs as intended. Given the success of the exhibition, a mother might finally find herself in an environment that allows her to fulfill the needs of her young wherever and whenever necessary, and with the support and sound information from her circle of influence. The exhibition is sure to stir emotions and reactions from participants and patrons alike.

Valley was inspired to use her art to speak to the public from her own not-so-unique experience. "After giving birth to my daughter, I started my journey into mothering and breastfeeding, and I was overwhelmed with conflicting information and hostile opinions," Rachel says. "My initial desire was to talk about it with other women, but constantly found myself in mixed company. In my attempts to receive and share good information about breastfeeding, I ended up stirring feelings of guilt, anger, and disappointment in others. On the rare occasion that I found someone that shared my positive nursing experience, I'd engage in stories and notions, and as a result made others feel left out, and unable to relate," she added. "Feeling frustrated and not wanting to upset, I was on the verge of silence, but my desire to challenge the 'norm' ruled out and I decided to let my art speak for me, and that brings us to 'MOTHER.CUTURE.ART.'"