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[visual art] The Miracle of Life: It goes without saying that everyone on Earth has experienced childbirth. Strangely enough, though, not many people are comfortable talking about it. There are few conversations more awkward to watch than an unprepared parent answer the question, "Where do babies come from?" Whether the answer has to do with storks, wishing on a star, angels or having your butt fall off (Knocked Up), the true story rarely makes an appearance. For some reason it makes us squeamish. True, the experience is graphic, painful and introduces a new responsibility to all who witness it, but people tend to forget that it is, literally, the most natural occurance in our existence. "[Childbirth] is an amazing, beautiful thing," Dixon Stetler, co-owner of Independent Art Company and Wabi-Sabi Warehouse, says. "We should be embracing it. We should talk about it, look at it, make art about it." As an active doula in the community, Stetler is able to experience childbirth firsthand on a regular basis. A "doula" is an experienced, non-medical assistant who provides physical, emotional and informed-choice support in prenatal care, during childbirth and during the postpartum period. Stetler believes the birth of a child should not be kept behind closed doors—that instead it should become a family experience. "Keeping it age-appropriate, of course," she adds. "I just think we should be honest with ourselves and our children about how babies are born. It's not gross. It's wonderful." In order to open this dialogue in the community, Stetler has decided to use her space at the Wabi-Sabi Warehouse to showcase art devoted to birth. For the past few months, she has been utilizing the Internet and the Wilmington art community to call for submissions. "We had about 90 submissions," she says excitedly. "It was a great response." What Stetler was most excited about was the diverse pool of perspectives. "We had an even split between men and women. Obviously, they differ in viewpoints, but I was delighted to have so much of both," she said. The call for contributions didn't just vary in sex; the experiences of mothers, fathers, grandparents, childless people and even those who have lost pregnancies were included in the submissions. Stetler realizes that while she personally views childbirth as true beauty, the images of the art she has collected might be hard for others to view. "When we started planning this, people got worried about the images being innapropriate, or gross, or too personal," she says. "They were talking about it almost as though it were pornography." There are those that require a progressive view of beauty in order to enjoy, such as Arrow Ross' black-and-white photography of a delivery circa 1969. The art, however, is not just up-close shots of the birth process. The submissions are in all mediums, with interpretive purposes. "Lemon Vulva," for example, is a knitted piece that expands to the size of a grapefruit. There is even a photograph made by a local midwife with genuine placenta. The Wabi-Sabi will be displaying 20 selected pieces from the collection in an exhibit entitled "Birth," beginning May 22nd. Local contributing artists include Abby Spangel Perry, Bo Webb, Paul Hill, Kee Wilde-Ramsing, Arrow Ross, Kristin Gibson and, of course, Dixon Stetler. She has contributed a pair of "Squatting Stones," used for the "squatting" method of delivery. "Birth is something we have all been through," she says. "Yet we rarely see it represented in art." "Birth" will be showing at 19 North 9th Street through June 20th with an opening reception on May 22nd from 6-9pm. Call 910-520-4546 for more information.
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