University Showcase, 10/15, 8a: Infertility is something people often suffer alone, and yet it’s more common than many people realize. The World Health Organization says globally 1 in 6 people experience infertility. Many turn to in vitro fertilization. The CDC found over 400,000 people in the United States underwent IVF cycles in 2021 alone. It is an expensive and often exhausting process. Eggs are fertilized with sperm outside the body and then the embryo is transferred to the uterus. But there are many steps within that process. And sometimes after all that, there is no successful pregnancy.
Photographer Rachel Cox went through this with her partner. She found a lack of representation and understanding of IVF in art and media and decided to use her experience to try and normalize IVF – and to empower those experiencing infertility. An exhibit of her work is on display at the University of New Mexico Art Museum through December 7. Cox is an alum of the UNM photography department and now teaches at the University of Iowa. She will give an artist talk on October 24 at the PAIS Building Room 1100 at UNM.
