M A R I S S A   R A G L I N   A R T

My youngest son was born with complex medical needs. Hospitalized for the first 11 months of his life with chronic respiratory failure, I prayed, paced, cried, begged, didn’t sleep, didn’t eat, argued and advocated for his life, all while remaining by his side.

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Thanks to the ArtPrize Seed Grant, I was able to create a body of work to commemorate the integrity, grit and persistence a mother has for her child. Daily, I chose to be present. But when my heart grew numb with fear, I chose to embody the characteristics of my own mother. I’d often refer to a collage I made entitled, “Mother’s Pill” for comfort and encouragement. During this time, I held a fundraiser and wore the “Mother’s Pill” like armor everyday.

 

To describe the characteristics of a mother’s love, I sifted through magazines and postcards to locate three striking images. An alligator, representing the tenacity of a mother, the flower to represent her delicate heart, and a mother and child showing a mother’s warm, protective embrace. Together, these images form “Mother”s Pill” a composition in pill-shape intended to be consumed as a daily supplement. “Take this faux pill in order to embody the mothers before you,” I’d say to myself.

 

Using this collage as inspiration, I created new mixed-media works. This installation also features three shelves with clear glass pill bottles; displayed as in a pristine, scientific lab. Bottles are filled with pocket-sized 3-D printed Mother’s Pills. The installation reads warm but sterile, just as experienced in our 11 month hospital stay.

 

This installation is more than art- it's a lifeline, a declaration, a peace offering. The Mother’s Pill stands as a monument to the unshakable force that rises within a mother when her child needs her most. Through grit and grace, pain and beauty, I aim to offer not just a visual experience, but a spiritual dosage- a reminder that inside every mother lives a power that cannot be explained, only embodied. This work gives permission for women to be strong, to be soft, to be scared, and to still stand tall. 

 

Let this be the medicine. Let this be the art that heals.

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The Mother's Pill installation is on temporary view at Biophilia for Grand Rapids' ArtPrize international art competition.