~Rebecca Morton

We learn from the women before us. Mothers pass on knowledge to their daughters, mentors guide apprentices, and working together, we set the example for those who follow. The quiet accumulation of wisdom is not lost from one generation to the next. Or is it?

My most recent body of work addresses my desire to share knowledge about Fertility Awareness. Fertility Awareness is having a basic understanding of how female and male reproductive systems work, how to observe and chart a woman’s fertility signals, how to determine whether a woman is fertile or infertile, and how to use charts to gauge gynecological health. The Fertility Awareness Method is based on a woman’s daily observations and charting of her fertility signals. These three fertility signals are basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and cervical position. The knowledge is a vital life skill and should be widely available for anyone who wants to learn it. The problem is this information is rarely introduced to women and therefore not passed on from mothers to daughters, doctors to patients, or teachers to students.

The Fertility Awareness Method is an effective natural form of birth control. It is inexpensive and safe, with no side effects. It can also be used to consciously achieve pregnancy. The Fertility Awareness Method enables a woman to have greater body literacy and empowers women to take greater control so they don’t have to rely on chemicals, devices, surgery, doctors, or pharmaceutical companies. All women throughout their reproductive life can use Fertility Awareness, regardless if they are breastfeeding, approaching menopause, or experiencing irregular cycles.

By presenting abstract female representations my hopes are to encourage viewers to raise questions concerning their own bodies. It represents an opportunity to say things that need to be said, that are often not said. For women who want to take responsibility for their own wellness and understand the body’s rhythms and their connections to nature’s wider cycles, Fertility Awareness is essential. Ultimately, through my ceramic art I am advocating a woman’s right to make her own reproductive and life choices.

By enlarging objects we view them differently. We can understand the formal beauty of line, shape, and form. My hope is to influence and allow people to see things in a new view.