Women
fought
for rights

New book highlights
history of health
activism in Canada

By TAESA HODEL

omen wouldn't have the
health resources they do
today if it weren't for the

past activism of young women in
Canadian colleges and universities
across the country, says the author
of a new book.

Lorraine Greaves was in Vancou-
ver on Nov. 13 to promote her new
book Personal and Political, which
tells stories from the second wave
women’s health movement of the
late 60s and early 70s.

“One of the things to come out
of Vancouver was the abortion car-
avan,” Greaves said.

Initiatives like the caravan, which
started on SFU's campus, _pres-
sured the federal government to
decriminalize birth control and
abortion. Women who didn't have
access to services created their own:
from birthing centres, to sexual as-
sault centres. Some of these orga-
nizations — like the Vancouver
Women’s Health Collective — are
still operating in Vancouver today.

None of these organizations
were featured at Langara College’s
Health and Wellness fair on Nov.
14.

Nancy Pollak, women’s studies
coordinator at Langara, said that
our society still treats the female
body as troublesome. She attributes
the widespread neglect of women’s
health issues to sexism within the
system.

“Women in the west are often
raised to be very alienated from
their bodies and critical of their
bodies,” Pollak said. “That creates a
huge health challenge.”

The activism that started in col-
lege campuses in the 1960s pushed
Canada to look at public healthcare
as a social issue, she said.

But there is still more to be done,
says public health nurse Doris Frac-
zek, who works with at-risk young
mothers.

She sees room for improvement
in women's health: from increased
health literacy; to increased re-
sources for mental health, addic-
tion, assault, birth control and abor-
tion.

Greaves says she still sees college
and university-based activism as
a way to drive change and she en-
courages women to be as brave as
those before them and to fight for
what they need.

Birth control is de-
criminalized.

The Vancouver
Women's Health Collective is
established.

The Supreme Court
of Canada decriminalizes
abortion.

Midwifery is estab-
lished as a publicly funded and
regulated profession.

Ideet Sharon draws in her Parker Street studio, one of 70 workshops that opened its doors to the public during the Eastside Culture Crawl. P4rRick PENNER PHOTO

Artist evolves in East Van

Langara student draws inspiration from meditation, nature

By PATRICK PENNER

deet Sharon’s art emerged

from a discovery of medita-

tion. Now her intricate, geo-

metric paintings are draw-
ing attention in the Vancouver art
scene.

‘The Langara expressive art ther-
apy student walked away from 20
years in the animation industry in
pursuit of the abstract art form.

“Something happens when you
start meditating and you start
thinking about your life and what
you are doing,” Sharon said. “Am I
thriving or just surviving?”

Sharon’s illustrations were dis-

played as part of the Eastside Cul-
ture Crawl, which ran from Nov.15

- 18.

"Shapes seem
separate but they
are connected...
little stories within
a bigger story."

—IDEET SHARON, ARTIST

‘The open studio event features
over 500 artists and attracts over

35,000 visitors.
Kurtis Baute and Xianny Neg, a

couple who purchased a painting
from Sharon, were elated by their
find.

“It’s not just chaos, I feel like
there is a structure to it in a way I
find kind of pleasing,” Baute said.

That chaotic structure was Sha-
rons intention.

She says she was influenced by
19th century philosophy and ab-
stract art, quantum physics and the
geometry of nature.

“Some shapes seem separate but
actually they are connected, there’s
a lot of stories going on and they
all are part of the bigger story, little
stories within a bigger story,” Sha-
ron said. “They are all finding bal-

”
ance.

But above all else, she credits
meditation for the inspiration be-
hind her work, saying she now sees
herself as a conduit for the images
she paints.

“Musicians like Mozart and Bach
were saying ‘I don't make this mu-
sic, I’m just hearing it,” she said.

Kari Kristensen leases the stu-
dio space that Sharon works in.
Kristensen said she’s usually picky
about who she sublets space to, but
has nothing but praise for Sharon's
ability.

“What’s most amazing about her,
in the time that she’s been here,
[is] the evolution of her work,” she
said. “It’s impressive to see someone
grow that much.”

Play shines spotlight on shame

Studio 58's latest
production tries
to tackle taboos

By AGAZY MENGESHA

he writer of a new Studio

58 play says her latest work

explores shame and mem-
ory, subjects she’s wanted to tackle
for years.

Mortified, written by Amy Ruth-
erford, centres around a 14-year-
old girl who's on the cusp of adoles-
cence and in an abusive relationship
with an older man.

“As a writer, I’m always interested
in subject matter that maybe has a
taboo element to it, or bringing si-
lent voices out and into the light,”
she said.

The play had its world premiere
at Studio 58 on Nov. 15.

“At this particular show, there are
themes of shame, which is sort of
one of the most hidden destructive
emotions we can feel,” Rutherford
said.

Emily Jane King who plays Girl

— the main character who has no
name — said it was an interesting
challenge to portray a character
without an identity.

“It’s super interesting to approach
a character like that because you
have to build it up for yourself, so
like myself and the other actress
that plays the older version of this
character, we gave her a name for
ourselves,” King said.

“We plotted out what her name
is, and what her backstory is, we
plotted that out with the director
to make her feel like she is a real
character, which she is very much is
already in the script,” she said.

Although the play centres on
Girls experiences, the show —
which is loosely based on The Little
Mermaid — has a large cast.

Anita Rochon, the director, said
it was an exciting challenge to work
with all 27 members of the cast.

When asked what she wanted
to say to people who might avoid
the play because they're cautious of
the subject matter, Rochon said, “I
would just say that there’s a lot of
humanity and humour, and dynam-
ic amazing performers, and so not
to be scared of the topic.”

Mortified rans until Dec. 15.

Emily Jane King as Girl. The playwright chose not to give the character a
name so her story would be more universal. Eiity CooPER SUBMITTED PHOTO