Michfest and Photos

Hi everyone!
If you're just tuning in, please take a moment to read our statement about the project and what we hope to achieve. Also please take a moment to begin the interview process if you feel so inclined. The project is strengthened by every voice we add to ours!

Now, here's the update.

We just got back from Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. It was a pretty intense week, especially being involved with the issues surrounding inclusion of transwomen.
A little history for those who don't know about MWMF or aren't aware of the issues regarding transwomen:
MWMF was started in 1975 as a safe, women-only space. It is a week long festival, run entirely by women, most of whom are volunteers. There are musical perfomances, parties, a kitchen that serves 3 meals a day, a craft fair, and much more. (Read the MWMF overview of the Festival here.)
It is truly a magical place, and sacred to the women who attend. The question and debate that has risen in recent years is: Should transwomen be allowed on the land? The festival's policy currently stands that only women born women are allowed into the festival. However, there are FtM people who attend, as well as people who identify as genderqueer, people who use male and female pronouns interchangeably, and people who use only male pronouns. Many women feel that allowing transwomen in is a violation of the "womyn-only" space, and compromises the sense of safety that is sought at Michfest. Many other women feel that a "womyn-only" space should include anyone who identifies as a woman, lives as a woman, and wants to be included in and help cultivate the safe space created at MWMF.
There are many passionate opinions about this dilemma, and it's a discussion that needs to continue in order to come to a resolution that is all-inclusive.
If you know about this issue or have questions or opinions to share, we would like to open this space up as a place to discuss it in a positive, respectful way. Please comment! (We will, however, respectfully reserve the right to delete your post if it is hurtful. It's alright to disagree, just do it in a non-aggressive way, please.)
There are also extensive discussions on the MWMF forums, which are helpful if you would like to learn more about either side of the argument.

The other thing we'd like to share today is pictures! These are some of the works in progress. They are representations of interviewees, created out of the sculptor's mind, not from photos. They are her interpretations of you, the people who have shared themselves with us. If you are interested in having your story made into a sculpture, please start an interview! The link is here.

And now, some photos.

Interview

Introduction to Project Gender: Breaking the Gender Mold

The information collected in this interview is private and for use in this project only. If articles or books about this project are published in the future, we would like to use your story, as you tell it in this interview. Do you feel comfortable with us publishing your words? Can we use your name? If not, what name would you prefer us to use? We can also make one up for you. The more thoroughly you answer each question, the more helpful it is for the project. However, all questions are not mandatory. If you are uncomfortable discussing something or a question isn't relevant to you, that's okay.

These are the first questions. Please cut and paste them with your answers (the more thorough the better!) into an email and send it to breakingthegendermold(at)gmail.com

Thanks!

What is your name?

How old are you?

What do you do for a living?

What do you do for fun?

Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?

Do you feel like you belong/fit in there? Why or why not?

Are you or have you ever been married? What are your thoughts on marriage?

Do you have kids/ Do you plan on having kids?

Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now?

What is your sexual orientation?

How do you identify your SEX? Male, female, neither? Is this the sex assigned to you at birth?

How do you define your gender? How you think this differs from your Sex, if it does?
Tell me about your schooling. Did you go to public or private school? What is the highest level you
completed? What was your high school experience like?

What are some things you remember doing as a child to "fit in", if any? Do you still do any of this today?

How would you describe your "style"? Clothes, hair, etc? What do you think this style shows about your personality?

How did you feel about your body when you were growing up?

How do you feel about your body now?

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

What is your favorite thing about yourself?

Do you know what you want to be when you "Grow up"?

Thanks for taking time to answer our questions! We will reply to your emailed answers with follow-up questions shortly!

Welcome to Project Gender!

The project: I am a ceramics artist. I have made a mold of a "female" body and one of a "male". Now I want to interview everyone I can who doesn't feel they fit into either of these. I want to take all of the figures out of the mold and alter them in a way that they will more accurately represent the people I interview. The idea is that in the end, each figure that I make will represent one REAL person. The information and the stories that I collect in the interviews will be presented honestly and respectfully. My goal is to build acceptance of all our differences through exposure. People fear what they don't understand, and I want to help eliminate some of this fear. I want to show both the strengths and the struggles of those breaking the rules. I want to pay homage to everyone strong enough to endure the pain and the shame that sometimes comes along with this, and I want to celebrate the beauty of all of our differences inside and out.

Please tell your friends. This project relies very much on 'strength in numbers'. The information you give me will not be associated with your myspace profile, it will be collected through private emailing. Contact me outside of myspace at breakingthegendermold (at) gmail.com

I am an artist. I am a collector. You are my collaborators. You are the storytellers. I am in the beginning stages of a new project, and I need your help. I want this to be more than an art piece. I want to break through the walls of the gallery and into the hearts and homes of as many people as possible. I want my exhibition to portray your stories and open minds to a gender spectrum that isn't just XX and XY. There is a simple survey posted in my blog, if you're interested in participating, please go to the blog!

This is a call for help from people all over the gender spectrum. All the tomboys, twinks, womyn, bois, trannies, butches, femmes, androgynites, kings, queens, and everything in between, who I love and to whom dedicate this entire project.