Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

Milwaukee NNSnewsMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


Language: English English Spanish Spanish

You are here: Home / Home / Carousel / How one Milwaukee artist is documenting the voices of health care workers who must care for COVID-19 patients

How one Milwaukee artist is documenting the voices of health care workers who must care for COVID-19 patients

June 11, 2020 by Caroline White Leave a Comment

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Nirmal Raja will never forget the message sent to her from an emergency room nurse in Belgium.

“I may be a drop in the sea, yes, but it is my reason for being,” the message said.

Raja, a Milwaukee artist, embroidered the phrase on a cloth face mask, snapped a photo and posted it to her Instagram. The mask is one of nearly 50 in her growing art series “Feeble Barriers,” which features quotes from anonymous health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

The name “Feeble Barriers” refers to how the health care system acts as a barrier between the virus and the population and how daunting it can feel to face off against a pandemic, Raja explained.

Raja, 51, has lived and worked in Milwaukee with her husband and two children for nearly 20 years. She is represented by Portrait Society Gallery in the Historic Third Ward.

Artist Nirmal Raja came up with the idea for the “Feeble Barriers” series while sewing cloth face masks to donate. (Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki, courtesy of Nirmal Raja).

Raja described her art as a response to lived experience. For example, her series “On Belonging” explored race and identity in America against the backdrop of Raja’s experience as an Indian American.

Raja said “Feeble Barriers” is her way of giving voice to workers who care for patients affected by the coronavirus.

“Health care workers themselves are vulnerable, but they’re busy,” Raja said. “They don’t have time to advocate for themselves.”

The idea for the series came to Raja “when the pandemic started feeling like a pandemic.”

Like others, Raja began sewing cloth face masks in early April to donate to various groups in need. While sewing, she was inspired to use the masks as a medium for quotes she was seeing in the news or hearing from loved ones working in health care. She posted an open call to participate in the project on social media, and she has since received nearly 30 messages.

One physician at Children’s Wisconsin expressed gratitude.

“Grateful for the incredible team support in our hospital and campus,” the doctor said.

A Milwaukee nurse shared her fear and anxiety.

“Will I take this home?” the nurse asked. “Will I be next?”

Some masks describe the sacrifices some have made to keep their families safe while working with patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

“I sent my kids away for three months to keep them safe,” said a nurse in Arizona. “I cry all day for them.”

Other masks list the reasons health care workers have to keep working.

“COVID doesn’t stop childhood cancer,” said a health care worker from Children’s Wisconsin. “So COVID doesn’t stop me.”

Debra Brehmer, the owner and director of Portrait Society Gallery, noted how the use of the face mask and hand stitching work together to form a simple and direct “tribute to the vulnerabilities of this time period.”

“Ultimately, this project extends a feeling of caring and sharing,” Brehmer said. “It is both visually and conceptually potent.”

Raja plans on continuing the project until she makes 101 unique masks. Each installment of “Feeble Barriers” can be found on her Instagram. Later this summer, Raja will be installing the series at Grove Gallery, 830 S. Fifth St. in Walker’s Point, and filming a video of the installation.

Brett Waterhouse, co-manager of Grove Gallery, said he hopes “Feeble Barriers” will remind viewers of the humanity of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Regardless of what your political views are, this is affecting people who made a career decision to serves others,” Waterhouse said. “They need to be heard.”

Raja said in addition to amplifying the voices of health care workers, “Feeble Barriers” paints a picture of what life is like right now.

“We might look back at this work and say, ‘That’s what it felt like to live through this moment,’” she said.

Health care workers can contribute their thoughts and reflections to “Feeble Barriers” through Raja’s email address nirmalinbetween@gmail.com.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Carousel, Home, Neighborhoods, News Tagged With: coronavirus, covid-features

About Caroline White

Facebook |  Twitter | More stories from Caroline

Caroline White is a junior at Marquette University studying Journalism and Environmental Studies. She’s been interning for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service since the summer of 2019.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Recent News

5 things to know and do the weekend of July 1

NNS Spotlight: At 17, she became an author. And she’s still soaring.

Milwaukee County supervisors split on community participation in addressing housing crisis

Advertisement
Give today to support our mission. Donate to Milwaukee NNS.
Advertisement

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494


Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2022 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in