MIDTERM INTERVENTION: In Real Life , Ivana Munoz

 2 artworks I found within my community that reflects, and motivates my clear message about the aftermath of a women’s body and connects to the negative aspects of birth control on a person’s body, especially woman.

Studio Montclair’s Leach Gallery , Monclair, NJ

Throughout this Season of Pandemic women have been ”holding it down.” Standing Up for truth and healing for their families and communities. Mujeres del 2021 calls attention to the work of our “mothers, grandmothers, sisters, wives, and aunties,” who never give up! Bisa Wendy Washington is the curator for this art. She is a Newark, NJ-based artist whose work on both national and international collections. She does a hybrid of synthetic and the organic material. Her mixed-media works combine historical, political, and religious traditions of the African decent.

Studio Montclair presents our annual Portfolio Series exhibit, “Love and Fear”

Love and Fear features the work of six artists—Amy Charmatz, Joanie Landau, Erik Peterson, Carol Radsprecher, Theda Sandford, and Gwenn Seemel–that depicts the emotions of love or fear on a personal, social, or cultural level. The artists generously expressed themselves through their work: their own personal trauma and self doubt, fears for humanity as well as representations of love.

The issue to address and raise more awareness is the negative aspects of birth control. In today’s society, birth control is very common when it comes to condoms, patches, hormonal IUDs, pills and vasectomy. Birth control is categorized in 4 types: Hormonal, Barrier, Contraceptives, and Surgical. Birth control is used in everyday life and has different purposes and can lead to health risks. When it comes to hormonal  (like pills and body patches), is it added hormones to prevent ovulation. Ovulation is part of an woman’s menstrual cycle where it causes fatigue, mood swings, increase in sex drive, and stomach cramps. Women that suffer from bad ovulations can develop fevers and vomiting, and bloating with abnormal periods. Out of all hormonal options, I believe pills are extremely harmful to the woman’s body and immune system and people should be more aware of the underlying issues. You can use body patches but when off birth control, women are at risk of developing early menopause.

Barrier birth control is physical devices like condoms and cervical caps to block spermicide. Latex condoms are branded as the most effective only because condoms protect people from STI’s and HIV, but doesn’t state the cons. The negative effects of the use of condoms is discomfort, being more prone to getting UTI’s, and irritation to those allergic to latex. People that are allergic to latex deal with burning, itching, bloating and if they use latex condoms for a long period of time they can have fertility issues for life. Cervical caps are like condoms but inserted into the woman’s cervix. The disadvantages is infections, no protections against STI’s, and at risk of TSS. TSS is Toxic shock syndrome that is a life threatening bacterial infection that has early signs of high fever, rashes and confusion.

Contraceptives can be implants like IUD’s that is inserted into the uterus by a doctor, needs to be replaced every 1-2 years, and professionally fitted to prevent it from traveling elsewhere. The use of this method of protection is the least effective since women can still get pregnant and its an extremely painful process. Surgical birth control can be when women tie their tubes or men getting vasectomies that is an one shot deal and irreversible. This method is commonly used from elderly people or for those who don’t want no or more children. The disadvantages of the surgical method is serious complications of organ damage, rare infections, and doesn’t prevent contact with sexually transmitted diseases.

 I am a victim myself that has taken birth control pills and from my experience, I wish I never listened to my gyn doctor. When I stopped taking it after 5 months, I developed changes to my body. Within the first weeks of my body having withdrawals, I developed new side effects of mood changes, tender breast and irregular bleedings. Then after 2 years the birth control caused me to gain weight and I never got headaches in my life til I started taking the pills. My whole personality changed from me being nonchalant,  to transparent with emotions and random moments of depression.Everytime I got stressed I would develop temporary side effects of anxiety, panic attacks, and strokes. After 3 years I started to feel like myself again and I don’t look back at taking birth control pills based off my worst experience as a woman.

My 2 quotes from “THE ART OF ACTIVISM: Your All-Purpose Guide to Making the Impossible Possible” by Steve Duncombe and Steve Lambert:

“We live in a work awash in information. The democratic dream of a public with full access to the facts has become in our internet age, a reality. But facts are not enough. No matter how many pamphlets you distribute at information tables, or how informative your artwork is, nothing is going to happen unless people can make sense of the facts you are giving them. Digging up the truth and putting it before an audience may make artists and activists feel like they are doing something worthy, but it is rarely effective in moving people to act.”

Leading to the “Cost Benefit Analysis”

“One of the simplest ways to conceptualize the process by which people change their minds is as an exchange. When people are presented with an invitation or argument to change their behavior, they weigh their options. If our marketing strategy is effective, they will choose to give up something-time, effort, maybe money- in order to get something in return..”

MY GOOGLE PRESENTATION LINK IS BELOW:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QllMJvfcgTmFpRlrJXeSJf_VRdG1PAQZJ4aOLg7XJhE/edit?usp=sharing