Suzanne Gonsalez-Smith

Untitled

Grand Forks, North Dakota

This art piece represents my struggle and success at overcoming infertility after a period of three years.  It also is indicative to the discriminatory bias within my own academic profession often aimed at women (such as myself) for desiring to have a family as well as a career.  This viewpoint is often aimed at professional women but not men since women are often seen as the primary caregivers of children.  We professional, pre-tenure women are therefore often thought of as not serious or dedicated enough for having diverged off the academic career path.  This mixed media piece is my reaction against that attitude.  The photographs within the ovaries show evidence of the success of my journey with portraits of my twins.  The stitching indicates the many paths throughout this time period and the bones indicate the often harsh struggles I endured.