Erin E. Schmidt, a mother of three and a Childbirth Educator, uses her art to explore cultural issues surrounding childbearing and motherhood. She explores these issues using a variety of mediums including found objects, drawing, and photography.
Less than 25% of mothers continue to breastfeed their babies after 2 months. The most common reason for this is because cultural taboos create an environment where mothers feel like they need to hide away in a bathroom or to find a quiet corner to nurse. Having to hide makes nursing inconvenient, and being segregated by the community creates feelings of isolation. The purpose of my work is to stimulate thought and discussion about the current cultural climate that prevents the majority of mothers from being successful with breastfeeding. I approach the topic through several different paths, some images are straight forward, some are profound, but mostly I prefer to use imagery that has a comedic slant.
Breastfeeding: Questioning the Taboo is a compilation of different visions that I was able to manifest with the help of volunteer families in my community. My work is a uniquely soft approach to a sensitive subject, through it I can encourage people to question why something so natural is considered obscene.