Ana Mendieta by Artist Jen Haefeli Artist 2019/2023 Illustrated for A Nation Crafted by Immigration written & illustrated by Artist Jen Haefeli, published in 2023, available via WildRootCreations.com

Original watercolor on cold press 9" x 12", 2019 Prints available in multiple sizes starting at $95.

Ana Mendieta became an unintended cult following of sorts when her life ended prematurely after she plunged from the window of her Manhattan Greenwich Village apartment. She was rising within a successful art world and many questions regarding her death remain unanswered. Some of her work included Earthworks, which had a somewhat macabre but beautiful resonance. She created them after the rain using her own body, sinking into the wet mud to make a compression mold in the Earth. She filled her body print with items she collected, such as flowers. She would then photograph the scene. Ana’s work is often associated with being liberal and feminist, and she was known for working with blood; including menstrual blood. She embraced her raw femininity as a power. She often utilized the charted menstrual cycle for her work, depicting its natural elements to promote discussion and questions on why a woman’s menstrual cycle draws feelings of filth and disgust toward women. Ana’s work remains a creative force though she was taken too soon. If she were here with us today, I believe strongly that she would be fighting bravely, shoulder to shoulder with her fellow sisters, to maintain our rights.