The
Secret Club Project
Again from the last PS Newsletter, I came across a blurb about something called the Secret Club Project that stated its mission was for "understanding pregnancy loss through the arts" and my heart began to pound. I was amazed to discover that Laura Seftel had created an entire arts organization, funded by some well-known grantors, around this idea of representing pregnancy loss in art.
Now, it wasn't that expressing this kind of loss, death, and dying in art was a surprise -- but that she has had such great success with getting funds, creating a first class website, and continuing to garner support. Maybe it was that I simply didn't know how to talk to grantors. But my previous experiences had told me that foundations, especially women's foundations, did not want to touch the subject of pregnancy loss with a ten foot pole because it infringed too close to political issues of abortion. But here was this amazing woman, FAB artist, and definitely a visionary with an entire arts organization proving me wrong with every pixel on the screen, every word in print, and every piece of art on exhibit!!
So I emailed Laura and asked a few questions about the organization, found out they are open to considering new art for their exhibits, and -- well, it's just very, very cool!!! Check it out for yourself! Consider submitting some work. At the very least check out the site to see the art that is already there. This is POWERFUL stuff!!!
Mission from the site:
The Secret Club Project offers
programs designed to heal, educate
and sensitize communities and
their health care providers to
the experience of pregnancy loss.
Through our traveling
exhibits and narrated slide
presentations,
the arts bring form to an experience
that so often seems to defy words.
This groundbreaking collection
of images adds to our understanding
of the meaning of pregnancy loss
in our culture. It both asks
and begins to answer the question:
what can happen when the lives
of women no longer have to be "secret" anymore.
