While working out at Trout Lake Community Centre, I noticed a woman named Noreen wearing a T-shirt featuring an ornate floral composition. I immediately recognized the shapes of the fallopian tubes, and the feminist in me couldn't resist asking about it.
Noreen, who is M茅tis, explained that she had purchased the shirt from a M茅tis association. The design belongs to a collection intended to raise awareness about cervical cancer.
Interestingly, I initially asked whether it was about brain cancer! Coming from a French-speaking background, I hadn't made the connection between the word cervical and the uterus. In French, cervical refers to the neck, while the cervix is called le col de l'ut茅rus. I knew brain was cerveau, of course, but somehow the words got mixed up in my head!
Looking at the floral arrangement, I couldn't help thinking of feminist artist Judy Chicago. I asked Noreen if she knew her work.
"Yes, the dinner plates!" she replied.
That made me smile. Of course, she was referring to The Dinner Party, Chicago's iconic feminist artwork.
Noreen was kind enough to take a picture with me, and I left our little encounter having learned something new. What a pleasure to discover more about M茅tis art through an unexpected conversation at the gym.
Sometimes a T-shirt is much more than a T-shirt. 鉂わ笍