Regenerative: Artist Statement

‍ For the third time in a row I am delighted to have had my work accepted into the “Loo-vre.”

Unlike its massively famous (and famously massive) namesake in Paris, this gallery is very small. Very VERY small. The size of a washroom to be exact. Because that’s exactly what it is.

‍ A couple of times a year the Manitoba Craft Council puts out a call for small works to be exhibited in the washroom. The theme this time is down the drain.” I have to confess that I wasn’t initially feeling inspired about the theme. I had almost decided not to submit, but then inspiration arrived in the way it often does: I got mad.

I learned that years ago menstrual blood was discovered to contain a unique type of stem cells that show tremendous promise for the field of regenerative medicine. These cells appear to have unmatched properties for healing wounds, and have the potential to significantly improve outcomes for a wide array of medical treatments. You can read more about it here.

‍But it has been difficult for scientists to get funding to advance this research.

‍Stem cell researcher Daniela Tonelli Manica, attributes the slow adoption of menstrual stem cells in part to misogynistic ideas that uteruses are outside the norm, and to common reactions of disgust.

So, research funding bodies are literally allowing a potential medical miracle to go down the drain.

‍Because it’s “gross.”

Regenerative, 2026

Regenerative is 8” x 8” (plus a bit extra where the beads hang down) and is constructed from quilting scraps, Pearle Cotton thread, agate beads, silver charms, and a glass pendant.

You can see it at 1-329 Cumberland Street in Winnipeg from August 21 through December 11, 2026. If you are looking for the perfect gift for the medical researcher in your life, it is available for purchase.

(And yes, you really do have to go into the washroom to see it!)