Abstract
In this reflection, Swiencicki makes the argument for the value of public art in feminist placemaking. Through an analysis of the mural on the Planned Parenthood building in Rochester, New York, she posits that art can hold a space for pregnant peoples' personhood amidst a thoroughly contested place for accessing healthcare. Working from a reproductive justice lens, she delineates how the mural's composition helps the organization hold a space for agency and care in the present moment. Swiencicki suggests that art can go even further and open the possibility of spatial repair—acknowledging the exclusions that are built into the history of cities like Rochester—as well as the repair of legacies of abuse: the history of unequal and abusive treatment of women and people of color in medical settings. She argues that feminists need to affiliate with such places and adopt a stance of care and vigilance.
Recommended Citation
Swiencicki, Jill
(2024)
"‘Your body is your story . . . & only you can write it’: Feminist Placemaking at Planned Parenthood,"
Gatherings: Vol. 1:
Iss.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/gatherings/vol1/iss1/8