ILLUMINATE! Art, Movement, and Motherhood
Bold explorations of performance, dialogue, and disruption throughout May 2025.
Mother’s Day is so much more than sentimental greeting cards.
It’s about shedding light on the most vital, undervalued, and complex work we do as humans: creating, sustaining, and transforming life.
This week, we confront that truth through art, performance, and unfiltered conversation.
Featuring Julienne Doko
International dancer and choreographer Julienne Doko presents a visceral performance and artist talk exploring the lived, embodied experience of motherhood across cultures in her work titled W.O.M.B. – Worth of My Body.
Thursday, May 8th 6:30-8PM an intimate artist talk with Julienne Doko hosted by Odeta Xheka (OXH Gallery) and Camille Adrienne (Gallery Noir). OXH Gallery, 1624 E 7th Ave Tampa, FL 33605
Saturday, May 10th (2nd Saturday Art Walk) 6-9PM – LIVE PERFORMANCE 7PM at the Museum of Motherhood. Julienne Doko performs W.O.M.B – Worth of My Body. Gallery Row Building #7 door B Parking across street or behind building:, 2606 Fairfield Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712
A dance performance that explores – and celebrates – motherhood in all its contradictory beauty.
Becoming a mother brings many changes: the relationship to your body, to time and material things, to the sense of identity and heritage. Dancer, choreographer and artist Julienne Doko invites us to reflect on the body’s ability to change through the different cultural perceptions of motherhood in a performative work that celebrates the body that bears signs of having created life. In English, the term ‘stretch mark’ shows a negative assessment of body changes. In Doko’s native language, Gbaya from the Central African Republic, the marks are called ‘ancestral tattoo’, a word charged with pride in the continuation and transmission of life.
WORKSHOPS AT MoM
THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED DUE TO A CONFLICT – NEW DATE COMING ASAP!
Highlighting the importance of family and dynamics of support systems with Sister Nayyirah Tivica Muhammad. Sister Muhammad is a visionary leader and the founder of Repair of The Black Family . As a dynamic keynote speaker, international three-time bestselling author, spiritual advisor, and master retreat leader, she inspires and motivates those she serves to achieve total transformation through her purpose-driven life. Sister Nayyirah specializes in helping individuals release generational trauma patterns through her keen intuition and unique approach to healing. Her work focuses on guiding women to heal intentionally. Her mission is to help restore the customs and beliefs of the Black family while working towards a universal government where peace prevails regardless of class, creed, or color. (FREE) Register by calling and leaving a message: 877-711-6667
MoM AT THE DALI
Surreal Night at the Dali with the Museum of Motherhood
Curated installations, community dialogue, and art that provokes and challenges. Co-hosted with the Museum of Motherhood. Join us for Surreal Nights at The Dalí! Dance to a live DJ, sip specialty cocktails from Café Gala and explore interactive installations, original artworks, hands-on activities and more from the Museum of Motherhood in celebration of Mother’s Day.
Activities Include:
– Play with clay: Embodiment! Make a body part. Take it with you, or leave it for a future exhibit.
– Pregnancy vest: Interactive experience. Experience the stress that pregnancy puts on a human body! T
– Original artworks: Four pieces from the Museum’s collection highlighting surrealism from mother artists. A mini taste of the artwork we feature and uplift!
MoM Original Artwork on Display:
“Illusions & Portals” Cayla Skillin-Brauchle
“Untitled (Image Transfer #21)” Robin Assner-Alvey
“Poetics of the Body” Odeta Xheka
“A Women (fabric of life)” Sierra Clark
Enjoy extended hours, entertainment and activities for free on the ground floor. Admission to the permanent collection is available at reduced admission, half-off after 5pm.
To reserve tickets, click the ticket link and select your Thursday Night After 5pm ticket for May 15th.
Access to the Dali lower level is open and free including the Café, Store and Avant-garden is free and open to the public. Gallery for admission is required to access the exhibits. WEBSITE PRESS DETAILS. Hurry Up – What are you waiting for!! Sign up now!!!
WOMAN IN THE LIGHT
Visit the Woman In the Light – A custom mural painted on the exterior wall of the Museum of Motherhood by Raisa Nosova. Raisa Paints the Town.
ILLUMINATE invites you to see motherhood not as sentiment, but as power—raw, real, and radically creative. #Where motherhood meets movement, art, and truth. #Not your Hallmark Mother’s Day. #Shining a light on motherhood—raw, real, and radically creative.
This Mother’s Day week, we’re not playing it safe.
Join us for ILLUMINATE—a bold mix of dance, art, and conversation featuring Julienne Doko and the Museum of Motherhood.
🔥 Performance. 💬 Artist Talk. 🎨 Art Night.
Let’s light up what mothering really looks like.
#IlluminateMothersDay #ArtAndMotherhood #JulienneDoko #MuseumOfMotherhood #SalvadorDali
SECOND SATURDAY ART WALK MAP & BROCHURE
Full Promo Booklet for Art Walk –Downloadable PDF
Submit to the Journal of Mother Studies
– SUBMIT TO JOURMS -2025
The submission portal for the Journal of Mother Studies 2025 is open April 1-May 31, 2025. 10th Anniversary Edition.
Guidelines are here.
Submit here.
The title of this year’s journal is ‘FUN, SEX & CRYING OUT LOUD’. This broad backdrop offers a platform for submissions on a wide variety of topics.
More here.
JOIN US IN JUNE: RSVP NOW
May is for Connection
May 15th is Global Accessibility Day and we thought this would be a great opportunity for you to share it with your network! To help you with this, we created a graphic which is attached to this email and text for you below to post!
Our brand isn’t just about looking good. It’s about doing good.
Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day and we’re proud to say that we are able to reach more people through a website designed for all abilities. Thanks to Naaman Creative, inclusion is part of our foundation.
Because we have an accessibility tool integrated on every page of our website, it works for everyone – just like it should.
#TheWebIsForEveryone #WebsiteAccessibility #GAAD2025 #AccessibilityMatters #NaamanCreative