Miriam Schaer’s Baby (Not) on Board: The Final Prejudice? is a series of embroidered baby dresses exploring society’s view and judgments of women who choose not to have children. The work challenges viewers to reconsider basic assumptions of a woman’s role in contemporary society, reigniting debate on this sensitive and personal issue. In this latest installation, Schaer presents her premise that societal treatment of childless women limits our view of what can be considered precious in the lives of those who, for many reasons, may not give birth. These prejudices miss the fact that for many, a “baby” can be more than just human offspring.

Viewers to this intimate installation are invited to interact with the piece and leave behind a description of what in their lives they consider “their baby.” Schaer leaves the door open to a multitude of things that people produce, bringing gravity and importance to alternative ideas of offspring, creativity, and the importance of all “labors of love.”

Schaer teaches in the MFA in Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts, but her artistic works appear in forms that challenge traditional notions of the artist’s book. Much of her work takes the form of complex sculptures that often use approachable familiar objects as entryways to present societal and psychological conflicts and confrontations. For more information on Miriam Schaer and to see more of her work, visit her website by clicking here.
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