Post Period Art Show Debuts in Dublin for Menopause Awareness Month

The novel and unconventional Post Period Menopause Art Show was unveiled on World Menopause Day at the Frame Company and Art Gallery in Dublin, featuring thought-provoking and conversation-starting works from 18 local artists.

October sees the convergence of Menopause Awareness Month, Arts and Humanities Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the organizers see the arts as an ideal platform to address societal challenges including matters around women’s health. The theme for this year's World Menopause Day was 'menopause hormone therapy'.

The opening reception brought together a vibrant mix of artists, community members, and advocates to acknowledge the resilience, creativity, and experiences of women navigating menopause.

Hosted by the Dublin Arts Collective (DAC), the exhibit provides a unique platform for artists to express their personal journeys through menopause, tackling themes of transformation, aging, symptomatology and empowerment. The featured artworks use a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media, to explore the physical and emotional aspects of this often-stigmatized life stage.

"The goal of this show is to break the silence around menopause and create a space where women can share their stories using art as a platform," said Vanessa Thomas, Co-Founder of the Dublin Arts Collective and Post Period Art Show Chair. "We want to foster conversations that help change the narrative around menopause, encourage women to understand this transition, and build solidarity within the community."

Participating artists include a mother and daughter - Buffy and Aubrey Davis as well as two male menopause allies who painted portraits of their wives, Mike D’Amelio and Tuan Karsaver. Other artists contributing work to this remarkable and eye-catching show include Sawsan Wolski, Gina Gabriell, May Yin Giang, Sheetal Borkar, Lisa Gentile, Anubhuti Desai, Erika Richert, Monique Makepeace, Jennifer Huber, Darlene Amidon, Michelle Meng, Sara Arasteh, Julia Tomtania and Laura Navarro.

The event also included a free screening of The M Factor documentary, on its premier date on PBS, which delves into the real-life experiences of women navigating menopause and interviews experts, health professionals and leaders about facts pertaining to the transition. Areas addressed include racial biases, gender-ignorant care, inequitable structures and systems, and barriers due to the lack of basic healthcare research. The screening, integrated into the art show, invited attendees to engage in open discussions, bringing awareness to the challenges faced by women during this natural transition where 80% of women experience hot flashes, sleep disruptions, joint pain, UTIs, mental health issues and decreased sexual functions and only 15% of women receive evidence-based interventions for these menopause symptoms.

“That was the most fun, informative, inspiring night I’ve had all year” said Dr Bettina Zatuchni, Pleasanton Gynecology. The event was also supported by City Councilmember Janine Thalblum who thanked the DAC for highlighting the menopause movement in Dublin .

"Congratulations on both events!" commented City Councilmember Janine Thalblum, "Each equally important and very needed in educating and empowering by sharing information regarding menopause and all it entails. AB2467 is an important piece of legislation as well."

The menopause bill was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2024. Assemblymember (ASM) Rebecca Bauer-Kahan's Field Representative, Lauren Howe, presented the information about AB 2467 at the movie screening event. The office of the ASM had arranged the first Menopause Town Hall in San Ramon earlier this year.

The Post Period Menopause Art Show will remain open to the public at the Frame Co and Art Gallery through Oct 28.

For more information, contact the Post Period Show Chair at info@peri-and-post.com