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MOLT / OLD MISSION |
The Museum of the
Menovulatory Lifetime
“sometimes
a little lighter, sometimes a little heavier”
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FAQ / MOLTMission / Go to
MOLTXIBITS / Go to Menstrual Monday / Contact
Us FAQ: Why do we need another museum of this
kind? |
Below
is the original MOLT Mission Statement – more poetic than the current mission statement
– but perhaps too much editorializing as well.
Toward the end of her long poem “Transcendental Etude,” Adrienne Rich listed the following:
“and the darkblue petal of the petunia,
and the dry darkbrown lace of seaweed;
not forgotten either, the shed silver
whisker of the cat,
the spiral of paper-wasp-nest curling
beside the finch’s yellow feather…”
A
menstrual version of “Transcendental Etude” might have instead listed:
“and the brightred lining of the uterus,
and the dry lightbrown stain of
menstrual blood;”
Indeed, if we look at the section of flow-dyed
t-shirt to the left, we see that it too is a byproduct of a living
thing, just like “the shed silver whisker of the cat.”
We can juxtapose its muted tones with
the brilliant ones of a tie-dye t-shirt, in the same way that Rich has
juxtaposed “the spiral of paper-wasp-nest curling/beside the finch’s yellow
feather.”
We can also bring to mind the ordinary
surroundings of womens’ menovulatory experience, in the same way we realize
“the darkblue petal of the petunia” is often found fluttering in the curbside
garden of a gas station, or the “darkbrown lace of seaweed” in grocery carts
and kitchen cupboards.
But,
before we define the mission of MOLT:
The Museum of the Menovulatory Lifetime, let’s look at the definition of
“molt” from the dictionary:
molt /molt/ v & n
(v) 1. (intr) shed feathers, hair, a shell, etc.,
in the process of renewing plumage, coat, etc.
2. (tr) shed (feather, hair, etc.) (n) 1. the act or an instance of
molting (as in molt once a year).
From the above, MOLT borrows the idea that
exhibit creation and exhibit viewing are both “processes of renewal” – a
shedding not of “plumage” or “coat,” but of “etc.” – worn-out attitudes about
the menovulatory lifetime, and the failures of imagination they represent.
It is the mission of MOLT to:
(Mission outline, Joanne
Kachman)
MAINTAIN
EXHIBITS that encourage critical
thinking, dialogue and reporting about the menovulatory lifetime; provide
balance as to the pros and cons of available data; and utilize data from as a
wide a variety of up-to-date sources as possible.
OFFER
WORKABLE REGIMENS for all phases of the menovulatory lifetime, i.e.,
“something you can do without it becoming a chore.” MOLT is committed to the idea that menstruation, pregnancy,
menopause, and so on, are all opportunities to do self-care.
LISTEN
TO WHAT WOMEN HAVE TO SAY about their own experience
of the menovulatory lifetime, and provide opportunities for dialogue and
support, inquiry and activism.
TRANSFORM
WOMEN’S EXPERIENCE of the menovulatory lifetime,
and how that experience is reflected back by news and entertainment, the
menstrual product industry, and the medical
establishment.
NOTE: MOLT uses the term “menovulatory lifetime” to capture the
complexity and diversity of women’s experience. As Jerilynn Prior, MD, of the The Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research
explains:
“I learned, by studying runners, what is
true for all women—ovulation and menstruation are not the same. Regular periods can and do occur with no
ovulation…”
Recent research also suggests that the
opposite may occur; that is, more than one ovulation per menstrual cycle.
X
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From
Protection to Expression: The Future of Menstrual Advertising |
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Menovulography: the
years from puberty to menopause, told as a story with pictures
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