Megan Randall on Senga Nengudi’s R.S.V.P. I

In our latest online edition of MoMA’s ArtSpeaks program, a member of our staff shares personal impressions of an artwork in the galleries. Here, conservator Megan Randall talks about working on Senga Nengudi’s 1977/2003 sculpture R.S.V.P I during a time of personal struggle and loss, and finding in it a sense of comfort and resilience.

Randall adds, “Given how much stigma still exists in this world around pregnancy, miscarriage, and infertility, it is important to me that this video helps normalize some of these issues. Here are some other stories and information that I hope will shed more light on both.”

Miscarriage and pregnancy loss
Lauren Kelley, “You Know Someone Who’s Had a Miscarriage,” The New York Times, Oct. 2019.
Meghan Markle, “The Losses We Share,” The New York Times, Nov. 2020.

Infertility
“The psychological impact of infertility and its treatment,” Harvard Mental Health Letter, May 2009.
Regina Townsend, “The Lasting Trauma of Infertility,” The New York Times, Oct. 2019.

Explore our collection work by work as we release a new video each Friday. Watch the videos and then come visit the works in person at MoMA!

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