Sunday, December 3, 1-3pm
Maureen Connor and Jason M. Leggett present:
Penumbra Kit: A Workshop on Reproductive Rights and the Constitution

Where should one look to find protection of reproductive rights? Rights activists are still fumbling to adapt and respond to the Dobbs decision and many women are advocating for an alternative approach to reproductive justice. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to a women’s history of abortion; confront unexamined assumptions about rights, justice, and privacy; and engage in dialogue around what we want our constitution to mean. Through their Pemumbra Kit, artist Maureen Connor (how to perform an abortion) and legal scholar and professor of constitutional law Jason M. Leggett will guide participants through a discussion of both the history of abortion (including herbal abortifacients) and specific constitutional texts. A reflection and debrief will imagine possible alternative futures, including direct action and other forms of advocacy.

This workshop and related Penumbra kit and installation is a part of the exhibition Picturing the Constitution. Picturing the Constitution features artists’ responses to the origins, contents, and interpretations of the United States Constitution. Projects in diverse media ask: to what extent do these founding documents still serve us (equitably)? What could we add or amend? At a critical time leading up to the 2024 presidential election, this exhibition examines the history and current state of democracy in America, our rights and responsibilities to our communities, and the role of artists in depicting and facilitating these ideals.