On the Gendered Conditions of Work

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Visit Our Web site! www.uml.edu/centers/women-work

PerspectivesPerspectivesOne of the questions we constantly ask ourselves at the Center for

Women & Work is how can we sustain our work. How can we keepalive the passion for delving questions related to equity at work? What

gives us energy for educating and sharing what we know about how genderaffects working conditions? How can we continue to be optimistic that institu-tional change is possible?

In our busy lives, many of us forget to reserve time to engage in what sus-tains us—time to refuel, time to reflect, and time to connect with supportiveothers. Creative expression can help us do all of these things.

My little “secret” is jewelry. Working on new pieces awakens a part of methat can get lost in the hubbub of meetings, classes, research interviews, anddata crunching. My creative outlet started as a joint project with my childrenbut has morphed into an activity I value even when on my own. Given I havenever thought of myself as an artist (& still don’t), I have been surprised aboutthe delight I feel when I can create something beautiful—and the further joy Ifeel when others enjoy my creations.

At CWW, we are working to support women’s creativity in all realms. OurFall Women’s Works event is our most public, as we feature the arts created bywomen connected to UMass Lowell. From fantastic water colors to inspiringphotography to playful jewelry to beautiful knit wear to yummie sweets.Through this annual event, we have uncovered the secret creative lives of faculty, administrators, staff, students, and alumnae—and the result has beennothing short of inspirational (and fun!).

As a follow up, for this issue of our biennial newsletter, we asked UMassLowell women to reflect on the role of creativity in their lives. We asked peopleto address the question: How do your creative endeavors enrich or propel your work? Their answers fill the pages of this edition of “Perspectives.” I amconfident you will find their responses inspiring.

To further this discussion, CWW’s 2011 Gathering at the Well Forum willaddress the topic of “Women as Makers: Creativity at Work, at Home, and inthe Community.” I am excited to let you know that our featured speaker will beMary Catherine Bateson, internationally respected author of Composing a Lifeand Composing a Further Life. The full morning will address how womenbring their creativity to bear as they shape their workplaces, their families, andtheir communities. Please join us on Thursday April 7th from 8:30 to 12:30 inAlumnae/i Hall on North Campus.

All the best for a creative new year,

Meg A. BondDirector, Center for Women & Work

WOMEN, CREATIVITY, & WORK

Letter from the Director

We asked UMass Lowell women: How do your creative endeavorsenrich or propel your work? Below

you will find some of their responses.

Marlowe Miller, Department of English

When I was younger, I wanted to be a novelist….but I never felt compelled to write.I’ve often heard writers say that they mustwrite to live. As a “wanna-be” writer, thisalways unnerved me: I just didn’t have towrite to live.

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“Garden Goddess” a life-size mosaic sculpture by Marlowe Miller and David Keevil.

Advisory Board Member Honored by UMass Lowell

CWW Advisory Board member Judie Post has beenselected as the 2011 Outstanding Alumna of theCommunity Social Psychology (CSP) Masters

Program. Judie completed her undergraduate degree atUMass Lowell in psychology and sociology. After gradua-tion, she worked her way up to Director of Elder Programsat Solomon Mental Health Center, and then worked forHewlett Packard and General Electric before establishingher own company, Andover Personnel. Several years laterand ready to move back into the human service sector, sheenrolled in the CSP Program, where she did a master’s the-sis on work-family balance. Judie credits her UMass Lowelleducation with helping her establish a solid foundation forthe next phase of her life’s work at Elder Services ofMerrimack Valley, where she applied her new skills in coali-tion building, program development, program evaluation,and grant writing. Currently, Judie is an independent con-sultant specializing in helping nonprofits develop effectivemarketing and fundraising campaigns. And, perhaps mostimportantly for CWW, Judie is an extremely effectiveAdvisory Board member, chair of the CWW DevelopmentCommittee, plus an annual contributor to our Women’sWorks celebration of women and creativity.

Eleven UMass Lowell faculty members and one librarianhave been named NVivo 9 Fellows for the upcoming year.NVivo 9 is a software tool designed to support non-numerical

or unstructured data analysis. It is used across diverse socialscience and humanities studies for organizing and analyzingtextual, audio, and visual data. All Fellows have received intensive training and have agreed to share their knowledgeand support others in using this tool.

The 2011 NVivo Fellows include:

Lisa Edwards, assistant professor, History Department

Andrew Harris, assistant professor, Criminal Justice andCriminology Department

MJ Kim, assistant professor, Graduate School of Education

Valerie King, clinical assistant professor, Nursing Department

Rosanna Kowalewski, head of public services division, UMass Lowell Libraries

Alyssa McCabe, professor, Psychology Department

Barbara Mawn, professor, Nursing Department

Deirdra Murphy, assistant professor, Physical TherapyDepartment

Miki Patterson, assistant professor, Nursing Department

Stephen (Alex) Ruthmann, assistant professor, MusicDepartment

Stephen Tello, assistant professor, Management Department

David Turcotte, research professor, Economics Department

The NVivo Fellows Program is facilitated by the QualitativeResearch Network and the Center for Women & Work. Some technical assistance has been funded by the College ofFine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Any faculty, staff,or student can receive a copy of the software by contacting the CWW at cww@uml.edu or by calling 978-934-4380.

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NVivo Fellows: Building ResearchExcellence at UMass Lowell

IDEA Communities Initiative (‘Interdisciplinary Exchange & Advancement’)

IDEA Communities are interdisciplinary groups designedto enhance mentoring and to support innovative scholarshipwork at UMass Lowell. Each IDEA Community involves asmall group of faculty and other affiliated researchers from a variety of departments and colleges who share interestsaround a common topic and who agree to make a commit-ment to support one another’s scholarship. We are pleased to announce the new 2011 IDEA Communities: Aging/Gerontology, facilitated by Susan Houde, School of Health & Environment, and Ramraj Gautam, Nursing; Mothering,facilitated by Deborah Finch, College of Management &Monica Galizzi, Economics; National Identity, facilitated bySarah Moser, Cultural Studies; and Technology, Teaching, and Learning, facilitated by Andrew Harris, Criminal Justice,and Jonathan Silverman, English

The initiative is facilitated by the Center for Women &Work, overseen by an interdisciplinary Steering Team, andfunded by the Office of the Provost.

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WOMEN, CREATIVITY, & WORK

While I may not be thewriter I thought I wanted tobe, I am compelled to makethings in order to live well.Over 25 years of academic pro-duction and teaching, I haveregularly turned to my knittingneedles, to my sewingmachine, or, more recently, tothe exquisite pleasure of cover-ing walls, objects, and sculp-tures with mosaics. Duringperiods of greatest intellectualdemand, productivity, or stressI will lie awake at night design-ing mosaics, fabric collage, orgarments. I cannot rest proper-ly until I have satisfied thesedeep longings to create withcolor and texture. It is asthough the demands of myintellectual life require a proportionate amount of timefor art-making: there is anessential balance between the cerebral work I do and the more intuitive, associative,creative work I do.

This balance is very much apart of my teaching. The samegenerative energy that compelsme to make objects also feeds(and is fed by) my teaching. Inclass, I challenge students tomove between intellectualapplications and more associa-tive “play,” pulling them intoexploratory and yet rigorousconversations. Sometimesthese conversations teeter onthe edge of brilliance; some-times they crash to the ground.But sometimes we achieve themagic symmetry of creativeand intellectual inquiry thatleads to extraordinary insight.On these occasions, I feel thesame energized elation that Ifeel after a day of art-making.For me, teaching is where the

gifts of intellect and intuitioncome together in a collabora-tive and creative endeavor.

Judith Davidson, Graduate School ofEducation (& CWWAssociate)

My creative endeavors lie inthe arena of fiber and mixedmedia. From childhood on, I have been interested in fiberin all its forms—weaving, basketry, sewing, knitting, crocheting. Several years ago, I discovered felt—one of themost ancient of human fiberforms—and in doing so founda home base for my creativeactivities. Felt draws on all myknowledge of fibers and theirunique characteristics. Theprocess of felting is akin topaper making and ceramics,and felt itself can be markedupon like cloth or paper. Thepossibilities seem endless tome.

Bringing this artistic interestin closer alignment with my‘real job’—as a reading special-ist, literacy researcher, andnow qualitative researchmethodologist—has been aproject of many decades. Onlyin the last few years have Ibeen able to formalize the rela-tionship between the hands-onmaker and the thinker/writerthrough the development of‘The Journal Project’, a studyof an 18-month period of mypersonal journals that blendsqualitative research software,arts activities, and autoethnog-raphy. This project is central tomy work as a FacultyAssociate at the Center forWomen and Work.

Fiber work connects me tothe deepest places in my soul.It allows me to make tangiblethe issues of meaning makingthat are at the heart of qualita-tive research. The characteris-tics of fiber—color, texture,twist, feltability—becometools for expression. Fiberallows me to honor theprocess of inquiry, playfulness,spirituality, and the value ofmaking. With the culminationof ‘The Journal Project’, I amcreating an art exhibit thatpresents felt in the context ofdiscussions of qualitativeresearch methodology, allow-ing these two powerfulsources in my life to joinforces.

Tara Spellissy Bedard,Teacher, UMass LowellAlum

Photography is my passion.I have been taking pictures for as long as I can remember,but I’ve looked at my picturesmuch differently since my chil-dren were born. Every pictureI take, I think of as freezing amoment in time. These snap-shots of our past tell a story.I’m lucky enough to capturethem and to be able to holdonto them forever. To me, thatis such a valuable possessionto have. Being able to capturelife’s most important momentsand milestones reminds me ofjust how precious time is andhow quickly it passes us by.

My photography fits perfectlyinto my work life because, asa teacher, I watch my studentsgrow over the course of ayear. I see how much theychange in such a short amountof time. I capture our memo-ries that we make both in andout of the classroom. Thesephotos allow them to takesomething with them whenthey go. It’s something to lookback on and treasure. It’s apiece of time in their lives thatthey can return to when theystumble upon that old photo-graph. Hopefully it makesthem smile.

Capturing these moments inour lives and being able toshare them with friends andfamily has been so trulyrewarding . We are preservingthese special moments in time.As a mom and a teacher, Ispend my entire day with littleones. There’s nothing betterthan seeing the world throughthe eyes of a child.

Photography has given meso many opportunities to meetsome amazing people thatshare my passion. It hasallowed me to get to see theworld through their lens and ithas opened my eyes widereach and every time.(www.tarabedardphotos.com)

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Khanh Dinh, Department of PsychologyMy creative work is essential to me. It sustains me—like

the food I eat, the water I drink, the air I breathe. It fuels thework I do as a professor, as a psychologist, and as a humanbeing. Without it, I believe, my life would be less colorful and not as meaningful.

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Our 2010 Fall fundraiser event, Women’s Works: ACelebration of the Creativity of Women, was a great suc-cess. Over 25 exhibitors displayed and sold their creations,which ranged from exquisite beaded necklaces to deliciouschocolate covered pretzels. Music performances throughoutthe day added to the warm and festive mood. Each year wecontinue to grow, not only in the number and variety of vendors, but also in attendance. Save the date for CWW’s2011 Women’s Works Celebration on Thursday, December1st! Stay tuned for more details…

Deina Abdelkader and Nina Coppens carefully consider a jewelry purchase.

Lindsay Casavant demos one of heranimated wash cloths.

Joyce Headley and Darcie Boyer, mother-daughter duo, belt out their tunes.

Ellen Anstey was instrumental inorganizing the silent auction.

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Anna Isaak-Ross, Planning Committee Member and Art Department StudioManager displays her photographs.

Winni Miller, Bridget Marshall, & Marlowe Miller, display the fine arts of the English faculty.

Lila Lorrey, represents the Office of Public Affairs with style.Rachel Schafler, Katie Mazure, & Alyssa Bryan, Members of the Women’s SoftballTeam, volunteered their energy to staff the welcome table.

Judie Post, CWW Advisory Board Member,relaxes between jewelry sales.

Rachel Robb & Jaye McLaren, CWW Student Interns,provide spirited support for the event.

Ginny Maki from the Research Administration is joined by hermother-in-law, Lori Maki.

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Elaine Major, Director of InstitutionalCompliance

My creative activities fulfillme in ways that are a littlehard to describe. The practiceof creating definitely has avery positive effect on mywell-being and attitudetowards life in general! I findthe creative process itself adichotomy: it is very stimulat-ing, yet creates a bit of anxi-ety. I am always excited toshow my work and try new

things, while a little nervousabout putting part of myselfout there for the world to seeand critique. Creating water-colors in and of itself gives methe incentive to keep practic-ing and trying new things,because I think it is a lifelongquest to master the art. It alsomakes me stop and take in theworld around me on a dailybasis so I can learn better waysto interpret nature and transfermy visions in a way that othersmight find interesting or

Jaye McLaren, CWW Graduate Assistant, recently sat downwith Charlotte Mandell and Nina Coppens to discuss ourquestion about creativity. Here is what Jaye learned:

Nina Coppens, Dean of Fine Arts, Humanities &Social Sciences

It’s obvious to anyone who walks into Dean NinaCoppens’s office that art is an extremely important part ofher life. Photographs, tapestries, and watercolors from hertravels, as well as her own personal pieces, adorn the wallsprojecting color and life into the space. Her passion is evi-dent as she talks about her experiences with her favoritemedium at the moment, watercolor. For Dr. Coppens, art is atype of meditation, a way to keep stress at bay and tap intoher creative self. She has many other hobbies, but, for her,nothing compares to getting lost in the creative process.Painting for hours on end is not uncommon as she creates awatercolor; she puts herself into a different state where sheuses all the senses to tap into her creative energy. The pointof art, for her, is not to worry about what the finished prod-uct is going to be or depict, but to just let go and see whatcomes from how the color moves and blends. This allows fora worry-free environment that revitalizes all areas of her life.

Art doesn’t necessarily impact her professional role asDean of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at UMassLowell, but it does impact the way she handles issues andproblems that come up in the workplace. Not only does cre-ating art balance her life and energize her mind, but she isable to transport herself into a more creative space for prob-lem solving. And when others see the artwork in her office orher creations for sale at the UMass Lowell Women’s Workscraft fair, it allows them to make a connection with her on adifferent level. The only challenge for her is finding the timefor incorporating art into her busy life! For Dean NinaCoppens, art is not about the outcome but about the processand how it positively impacts all aspects of her life.

Lindsay Jean Casavant,Program Manager, Centerfor Women & Work

Art has been a passion ofmine since I was very young.I’ve created artwork of myown in different formsthroughout my life. My creativ-ity fuels many aspects of mylife. At work, I feel my artbackground gives me a strongfoundation. As an artist, youhave to think outside the boxor see some new way of doingthings (see a new color combi-nation or come up with newways of using things from therecycling bin) which requiresflexibility in thought andvision. Similarly, in my workand home life I feel constantlyfaced with challenges of time,resources, and supports. Thereis always the need to come upwith new solutions and throwout old patterns to make itwork! So many situationsrequire the ability to adapt andthink creatively, and as anartist, I feel like that’s what Iwas born to do. As I raise mytwo (small) precious andinspiring children, I place agreat deal of importance onfostering their creativity inhopes of helping them navi-gate this world in the best way possible.

Sarah Kuhn, Department of Psychology(& CWW Associate)

When I was a child, I was a“maker.” I hammered togetherscraps of wood to make boats.I built elaborate castles on theplayroom floor, and networksof blocks crisscrossed my bed-room. My mother taught me tosew, and I made many of myown clothes as a teenager. Butthen I got to college and gotbusy. I took a fiber arts classthe summer I started graduateschool, but then I got even

busier: there is an unfinishedquilt from 1978 in my closet,which I have rememberedthrough the years of graduateschool, marriage, children, andlife on the tenure track.

Gradually, my experiencesas a teacher, and my frustra-tions with the conventionalclassroom, brought me to mysenses, and that meant ofcourse to the arts and to mak-ing as well. I’ve started sewingagain, and last year, while Iwas on sabbatical at the OlinCollege of Engineering, I ledan extracurricular activity Icalled “Sewing for Engineers.”It was extremely popular withstudents. By working withthem, I learned how manyintersections there arebetween engineering practiceand sewing. In fact, I’vebecome interested in under-standing the fancy couturiertechniques of the top Parisdesigners: what more difficultengineering task could therebe than designing and usingflexible materials for the vari-able female body? My studentsdiscovered analogues in mate-rials science, pattern making(which happens in engineeringas well as sewing), design sci-ence, and other domains.

As I have come to think ofmy classroom as a sensorydeprivation chamber, I’ve alsocome to see sewing, knitting,crochet, and other fiber arts,now stigmatized as “work forretired women,” as an anti-dote. Coming to our senses isimportant learning work, andif sports belong on collegecampuses, so do the fiber arts.And the mathematics of weav-ing, crochet, and quilting con-vinces me that this is a richdomain not just for the soulbut for the intellect.

insightful. Paying attention tothe beautiful things I see everyday helps me to focus on whatis really important in life andbrings me a sense of peace,too. I thoroughly enjoy inter-acting with the many talentedwomen artists involved in theWomen’s Works communityand look forward to sharingideas and stretching my cre-ative abilities. Thanks for let-ting me be a part of somethingso fulfilling!

Herlinda Saitz,Department of Cultural Studies

I have been engaged withthe Reading SymphonyCommunity Orchestra for 40years as flute and piccolo player and as member of itsBoard of Directors. I havebeen instrumental to the creation of its successfulChildren’s Concerts.

The world of music is a creative art parallel to my professional world of literature,and the study of music enrichesmy work in literature just asmy work in literature enrichesmy work in music. Both litera-ture and music deal with theuniversality of art and its valuefor the human condition.

A few examples: Whileteaching literature and aboutthe Don Juan European myth,

made famous by two Spanishdramatists, Tirso de Molina,XVII C, and José Zorilla, XIX, I encourage the students towatch the opera “DonGiovanni” by Mozart in theZefarelli production, see thefilm “Don Juan de Marco”, andlisten to the symphonic poem“Don Juan” by RichardStrauss. All of these deal withthe struggle for liberation inthe human spirit. The “Man ofla Mancha”, a musical versionof Don Quijote, brings a con-temporary example of theneed for the interdependenceof common sense and illusion.In a language class, the con-temporary beat of the song “El pianista del gueto deVarsovia” (Sounds Eclectico2005), engages students effort-lessly in listening comprehen-sion and learning the grammat-ical formula to express “whatif”, while at the same timeoffering awareness of how thepower of music—playingChopin in the Warsaw ghet-to—made life bearable. Theylearn about the Holocaustfrom a singer, whose grandfa-ther was the pianist in theghetto, and are asked to imag-ine what would happen if thesinger were the grandfatherand the grandfather were thesinger; is the world differenttoday?

Charlotte Mandell, Vice Provost forUndergraduate Education

Vice Provost CharlotteMandell has been interested inall types of art since a veryyoung age, but knitting hasalways held a special place.Taught by her mother andgrandmother, knitting allowsDr. Mandell to relax and de-stress from her responsibilitiesas Vice Provost. It creates ameditative state where herprofessional mindset is put on hold, even just for a littlewhile, as her creativity isembraced. While beinginvolved in knitting is strictly a hobby, it has led her to anonline community where

she can connect with otherknitters and artists to talkabout crafts, politics, litera-ture, and travel. She is mostinvolved in the travel forumsas a way to get other artist’sperspectives on the best placesto take a trip. Dr. Mandell’screativity and passion for knitting has given her theopportunity to connect with aninternational community thatsupports and encourages herlove of art and her continuinggrowth as an artist.

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Judie Post, CWW Advisory BoardMaking jewelry has always been both a creative outlet and agrounding experience for me. While I love to put new ideasinto the pieces I create, it is always amazing to have someoneelse like that piece enough to pay for it! It then becomesmore than a creative outlet, it is a way to test my ability toknow what others like and understand that while it is impor-tant to love what you do, it is just as important to know thatwhat you are doing has meaning for others.

To read more reflections on women and creativity, log onto

www.uml.edu/womenwork.

UMass Lowell Chamber Singers at Women's Works 2010.

Non-Profit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDUMass LowellPermit No. 69

Center for Women and WorkUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell850 Broadway StreetLowell, MA 01854-3000(978) 934-4380

Un i ve rs i t y o f Massachuse t t s Lowe l l

Leadership Team:Meg A. Bond Mignon Duffy Laura Punnett Paula Rayman

Associates:Judith Davidson Monica Galizzi Michelle Haynes Andrew Hostetler Sarah Kuhn Saira Latif Cheryl Najarian Souza Katherine Rosa Jana Sladkova Robin Toof Yi Yang

CWW Staff Moriah Aponte Serrano Darcie Boyer Lindsay Jean Casavant Allison Fahey Michelle Holmberg Maria McDuffie Jaye McLaren Johana Reyes Rachel Robb Michelle Thompson

Advisory Board:Randy Albelda Paula Alexander Lisa A. Brothers Julie Chen Kristin Esterberg Roslyn L. Feldberg Joyce Taylor Gibson Stacie Hargis Evelyn Murphy Judie Post Esther Pearson Jean L. Pyle

Affiliates:Susan Moir Imogene Stulken Susan Thomson Susan Winning

Office: Coburn Hall—B11E-mail: cww@uml.edu978-934-4380

The Center for Women and Work 2010

The Center for Women & Work’s 13thAnnual Gathering at the Well Forum

Women as Makers: Creativity at Work, at Home, and in the Community

When: Thursday, April 7, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Where: Alumni/ae Hall, UMass LowellNorth Campus

Our new membershipstatus with the NCRW The UMass Lowell Center for Women &Work has been invited to become aMember Center of the National Councilfor Research on Women. Learn moreabout our great network atwww.ncrw.org