2024 Vance Waddell Feminist Artist in Residence, Jessica Caldas:

The Library of Birthing and Unbirthing

Artist Jessica Caldas’ Library of Birthing and Unbirthing will serve as a resource for building an archive, with an aim towards elucidating the necessity for more complete reproductive justice in our society.

Birth stories, as a practice, have a rich history in cultures all over the world and have existed as a way for women to empower themselves and others during the process of having children, particularly in societies where medical fields do not favor the health of birthing persons. Not only is Caldas interested in tapping that power through the translation of birthing stories into Tired Body installations that provide a more public acknowledgement of these experiences, but she is equally interested in harnessing that power for stories of “un-birthing,” which the artist defines as, “stories of abortion, child loss, and choices to not reproduce.” 

These stories are told even less publicly than birthing stories and can provide just as much aid to those in similar situations and making similar choices. Both sets of stories can be powerful motivators for change in our culture regarding birthing peoples, their health, and the choices they make. These stories and the resulting Tired Body sculptures and installations will function as witnesses and testimonies for birthing people as well as champions of choice and health.

Caldas’ Tired Bodies incorporate abstracted figures and soft sculpture in a variety of scales and media, ranging from handheld to monumental. These sculptures act as vehicles for interaction, understanding, and empathy, connecting others to bodily experiences of labor and care while navigating the complexities of identity. For “The Library of Birthing and Unbirthing,” each Tired Body possesses a story that touches on topics of gendered expectation and norms, sexuality, body image, ableism, community, motherhood, and more. Over the course of Caldas’ residency, she will be holding both private and open-to-the-public Deep Listening sessions with the community.  

To contribute to the archive remotely, please visit the artist’s website where you can submit your own story: https://jessicacaldas.com/#/thelibrary/

“The Library of Birthing and Unbirthing” will be on view at Wave Pool August 10th through September 14th, 2024. 

About the artist:
Jessica Caldas (b.1986) is a Puerto Rican American, Georgia and Florida based artist. Her work connects personal and community narratives, usually centered on the experiences of women and women identifying folks, to larger themes and social issues through bodily, multidisciplinary works. Caldas has participated in numerous artist residencies, including the Vermont Studio Center in 2020, the Art on the Atlanta Beltline AIR in 2020-2021, and was a 2022-2023 MOCA GA Working Artist Project fellow. She was recently the recipient of the 2023 Atlanta Artadia Award. Her work has been shown at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA, the Art & History Museums of Maitland, MOCA GA, and is included in the collections of Kilpatrick Townsend, The City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, the Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia, and the Kyoto International Community House. Caldas received her MFA at Georgia State University in 2019 and received her BFA in printmaking from the University of Georgia in 2012. She is a part of Living Melody Collective, a multidisciplinary collective of femme artists that is based in Atlanta but is also nomadic along the East coast and throughout the Southeast. She is the founder and director of Good News Arts, a community arts space and gallery in rural North Central Florida, works part time for Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, and splits time between High Springs, FL and Atlanta, GA.

The Vance Waddell Feminist Artist Residency is supported by Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell.