quinta-feira, 6 de junho de 2019

What breastfeeding has to do with art?



“Families in the US currently must choose between nursing their babies and paying their rent.”


Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Hackathon is a good example of how collaborative contemporary art is finding new progressive ways to be a welcome partner of post-contemporary societies.

Catherine D’Ignazio, a.k.a. kanarinka is a scholar, artist/designer and software developer whose work focuses on data literacy and feminist technology. She is also one of the driving forces of a case for breastfeeding innovation.

As the website of this peculiar Hackathon states, “The US is one of only three nations worldwide without paid parental leave. The other countries in this club are Papua New Guinea and Lesotho. Women’s return to work outside the home is the leading factor for early weaning. Most US work environments do not provide material or policy-based support for breastfeeding women, including parental leave, flexible schedules, on-site daycare, breaks and spaces for nursing and pumping.”




“The 2018 MIT Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Hackathon and Paid Family Leave Policy Summit convened 250+ collaborators from diverse backgrounds to create better products, programs, policies, and systems to support breastfeeding and pumping with a focus on equity. The dynamic event featured a multimedia art exhibit, a Baby Village to support young children at the event, and an Innovator’s Gallery with start-ups and big businesses.

Watch the documentary by Elizabeth Gray Bayne below to learn more about our values, approach, and the community. Share the video with #breastfeedinginnovation.”

Make the Breast Pump Not Suck 2018 - Official Documentary from Engagement Lab on Vimeo.

Community Innovation Program


“Leading up to the 2018 Hackathon at the MIT Media Lab, we are supporting four Community Innovation teams from Boston, Detroit, New Mexico, and Tupelo. Each team, consisting of talented innovators and passionate advocates for low-income families in their communities, will work to articulate problems in their communities and to kickstart local innovations.”




Speaking Our Truths


27 Stories of What It’s Really Like to Breastfeed and Pump in the United States—download a PDF of the book.

Make the Breast Pump Not Suck: 2019 Update