Tuesday, February 17, 2015

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

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 24th, 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 11th 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

 



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