Breastfeeding and Dirty Pictures - Press Release for Lege Action Day, Dirty Car Art Event, & Art Exhibit

Contact: Krisdee Donmoyer, Legislative Chair

   Texas Breastfeeding Coalition

Phone: 512.655.9647

TXBFLeg@gmail.com

Texasbreastfeedingcoalition.org

Press Release

Breastfeeding & Dirty Pictures

The Dirty Car Artist Creates Piece to Coincide with Breastfeeding Legislative Action Day

Austin, Texas, February 17, 2015:  World-renowned artist Scott Wade is creating a Dirty Car Art piece as part of a breastfeeding art exhibit to support Texas Breastfeeding Coalition’s legislative efforts on Feb. 18, 2015 at the Texas State Capitol.  Breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk for many illnesses and diseases, impacting healthcare costs for families, businesses, and government.  It is a public health imperative to improve rates through support and public awareness.

“The only thing dirty about this picture… is the dirt.”

This tagline, conceived by the father of three breastfed children, inspired world-renowned Dirty Car Artist Scott Wade to create his first permanent piece – a breastfeeding mother forced to hide in a car to feed her child.

Scott’s art is usually temporary – reverse graffiti created in the dust on car windows.  He has created pieces all over the world.  Only photographs remain of the work – photos that have gone viral.

Scott was a stay-at-home dad for four years and would pick up expressed breastmilk each day from his librarian wife to feed to their daughter.  He was excited to create this piece in support of legislation that would support more mothers to express milk at work for their babies, and to protect mothers to breastfeed in public.

This first permanent piece is on exhibit at the Texas State Capitol through February 24^th, as part of Texas Breastfeeding Coalitions collection, “Mother Nature’s Masterpiece.”  The exhibit intends to raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding as a public health issue, and the need for support to improve breastfeeding rates.

Scott will create another breastfeeding-themed piece, on 11^th Street in front of the Capitol, from 11am-4pm on Wednesday.  This event coincides with Texas Breastfeeding Coalition’s first Legislative Action Day.  The bills they support include:

·         HB 786 – Right to Express Breastmilk in the Workplace by Rep. Walle – Gives public salaried employees the same support as the FLSA gives hourly employees, requiring time and a place to pump milk at work.

·         HB 232 – Strengthening the Right to Breastfeed by Rep. Farrar – Current law is regularly violated without recourse.  HB 232 informs businesses of law, makes it illegal to violate the right, and gives harassed mothers the right to file a civil suit. 

·         SB 26 – Mother-Friendly Worksites by Sen. Zaffirini – Requires state agencies to set up policies supporting mothers to express breastmilk at work and to seek the Mother-Friendly Worksite designation.

·         Licensure of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) – improves access to qualified lactation support when mothers experience complex breastfeeding problems.

Those who wish to support breastfeeding mothers and babies are encouraged to come see Scott work, enjoy the art, and visit with legislators/staffers about the bills.  Scott will work from 11am-4pm, and TXBC will coordinate visits from 9am-5pm.  Stop by for as long as you can – 1 hour or 8, with or without children.  More information can be found at texasbreastfeedingcoalition.org

Improving breastfeeding rates in the United States could save 911 lives and over $31.2 billion every year.  Breastfeeding helps to prevent obesity, diabetes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, asthma, and more in children, and reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancer for mothers.

About Scott: "Scott's work has been featured on the History Channel's Modern Marvels, The CBS Early Show, CMT's Country Fried Videos, and on many other national and regional television shows, as well as several in Japan, Germany, Brazil, South Korea and Mexico. He is featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not, Maxim, Car and Driver, Nickelodeon, Playboy, The National Inquirer, and in major newspapers around the globe."  More at DirtyCarArt.com.

Link to Facebook post - time lapse of creating the permanent piece, “Fast Food Sucks”: tinyurl.com/fastfoodsucksvid

 

Legislative Action Days for Texas Breastfeeding Bills

In lieu of a spring meeting, Texas Breastfeeding Coalition will host two legislative action days – and breastfeeding mothers and babies need you there!

The following is from TXBC's website.  If you have difficulty accessing the site to register, email me at TXBFLeg@gmail.com.

The first action day is February 18th and coincides with an exhibit of our breastfeeding art collection, Mother Nature’s Masterpiece, including a Dirty Car Art event.

The second is March 3rd and coincides with a House Resolution commemorating the 20th anniversary of Health and Safety Code 165, which asserts the Right to Breastfeed in public and establishes the Mother Friendly Worksite designation.

Come to one or both days and visit with legislators and staffers to ask for their support of the billsthat TXBC is promoting.

(Can’t make it to Austin, or not on these days?  You can still contact your legislators or even visit them in district.  Explore our website for more information and resources on supporting the bills!)

Legislative Action Days

Texas is the size of 11 other states.  We are the second largest state in both geography and population.

Legislators want to hear from their own constituents – the voice that matters is the one that may or may not vote for them.

That’s why your involvement is important to passing bills that will improve support for breastfeeding mothers.

When you attend a legislative action day, you will meet with staffers or legislators, usually paired with another advocate.  You’ll be provided with materials to help prepare you for your meetings.  You’ll pass along a packet of information and talk about why breastfeeding support is important to you and imperative for maternal and child health.

You may bring your child(ren).  If you’d like, you could bring them in a doctor’s jacket or with a stethoscope, to highlight that breastfeeding is a public health issue.

Your dress should be business attire or business casual.  Very comfortable shoes are advised.

You may want to bring a tote bag (and maybe a stroller, if you’re bringing children) to carry your packets and the small gifts that we will likely send to offices.

If you have a smartphone, please take photos on your visits and share on social media with the hashtag #txbfleg.  (Anyone not attending can use the hashtag to find these and repost & retweet them.)

You are encouraged to invite friends, your ob-gyn/pediatrician/midwife/doula/LLL leader/neighbor/mail carrier, etc.  Please spread the word through email, social media, and phone calls to the people and groups of people in your circles.  You can share the Facebook event pages and invite friends that way, too (click here for Feb. 18th page and Mar. 3rd page).  The more attendees we have, the more offices we can visit, and the greater impression we can make.

You will need to register so that we will know your availability and can determine whom you should visit.

Please register for February 18th here.

Please register for March 3rd here.

Register for Feb 18th

Details for Feb. 18:

We will meet at the north end of level E2, between the E2.400’s and E2.700’s wings.  (This is where our art is being exhibited that week.  You’ll want to be sure to check out Scott Wade’s Dirty Car Art creation in front of the Capitol on 11th Street while you’re there, as well.)  Our legislative chair, Krisdee Donmoyer, will be on E2 from 9am to 5pm to coordinate visits – giving you your assignments/appointment times, and materials to pass along.  You can check in with her after your meetings in the same place, to give her notes on your meetings, or you may want to use a smartphone or tablet to send them as you go.

Register for Mar. 3rd

Details for Mar. 3: 

We will meet in the House Gallery before 10am.  The Resolution will be presented by Representative Farrar, probably in the first half of the 10:00 hour.  Rep. Farrar will recognize a few advocates on the House floor, then everyone in the gallery.  After the resolution we will take a group photo on the stairs outside the House chamber (exit the Gallery and take the stairs on the right of the west wing down to the 2nd floor), then disseminate assignments, packets and gifts.  At this point, depending on the time and appointment times you may have, you might wish to have lunch (there is a cafeteria, the Capitol Grill) before you begin your visits.  Krisdee will be available in the cafeteria until 5pm to coordinate, answer questions, and receive visit notes.

If you have questions or concerns you can reach Krisdee at txbfleg@gmail.com or 512.655.9647.

Parking:

You may want to park at the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage, east of the Capitol, located at 1201 San Jacinto located between Trinity and San Jacinto Streets at 12th and 13th Streets. Parking is free for the first two hours and $1.00 for each half hour thereafter (maximum daily charge: $8.00).  If you go to the top floor and park near the elevator (there are stairs at each corner with glass doors; the elevator has concrete walls), you can take the elevator down to the 2nd floor, turn right, and it’s just a one-block walk to the Capitol grounds.

Getting around:

Coming from the Capitol Visitors Parking garage, you can enter the east side of the Capitol (or go to the left and enter the main entrance of the capitol building.)  There are more maps here.

TO E2 on 2/18 – Just take the North Wing elevators down to E2, and walk straight all the way down to the other end of the building.  You will go around the Central Court, an open-air rotunda. It gets confusing here.  You should pass one hallway, then at the next hallway – which is the main hallway again – you should be able to see our exhibit.

TO HOUSE GALLERY on 3/3 - Take the North Wing elevators to 3rd floor.  Head south out of the elevators into the rotunda, and turn right to go into the west wing and enter the Gallery at the end of it.

TO THE CAFETERIA - Take the North Wing elevators to level E1.  Follow the hallway until it opens up into the Seal Court.  The Capitol Grill is on the left of the court.

Photo courtesy of The Good Body Project.