If you think mothers who nurse in public create a disturbance, wait till you see
The Milk Truck.
An ice cream truck with a light pink boob on top, The Milk Truck was officially launched this week as part of the
Pittsburgh Biennial exhibition at the Andy Warhol Museum. The truck will be patrolling the streets of the city on the lookout for anyone--and we mean anyone--who would dare to negatively confront a breast-feeding mother who is nursing her baby in public.
The truck is the creation of artist Jill Miller, an art professor at Carnegie Mellon University and mother of two. Miller successfully raised nearly $15,577 through Kickstarter from 450 people in a month; the funding covered the cost of the truck as well as the boob job, a fiberglass dome created by local artist Brandon Boan.
Miller says she always wanted to create a piece of public art that makes a profound connection.
"I am a mother and an artist. I thought, wow, wouldn't it be great if, when women are out in public and they feel the pressure to hide in a toilet stall, a truck with a giant boob on top showed up to support them. It was a vision."
The mobile breast-feeding unit is generating national media attention,including Time and Bust magazines. And there has been a stampede of nursing moms clamoring for a slot as a volunteer driver for the duration of the ride (through mid-December).
"I think it’s the boob on top," says Miller unequivocally. "The whole idea of the spectacle and the humor is attracting people."
The truck runs six days a week and responds to emails, texts and tweets (email is preferred). In addition to providing the emergency public service, the truck will attend public events, conduct educational talks and stage public nurse-ins on the streets of Pittsburgh.
"Invite us," says Miller. "We'll do our best to be there."
Source: Janet Miller, The Milk Truck and CMU
Image of The Milk Truck courtesy of Eric Paulos