Community Foundation Tampa Bay Awards Grant to MoM

We are thrilled to share HUGE NEWS: Community Foundation Tampa Bay awards the Museum of Motherhood a 25k grant to continue work in the area of Health, Wellness and Education.

We are incredibly humbled and grateful for this recognition. Our team has been relentless in our volunteerism and hard work facilitating free and open spaces for individuals and families from all walks of life, including those at risk and in-need as well as people seeking connection to resources and inspiration.

This grant will help us move forward and keep the lights on at MoM.

We have so many people to thank including our grant writer Samantha Church (SDC Strategies) whose time with us is made possible through a grant with Hypatia Collaborative. Team-wise we owe gratitude to our fierce fundraiser Mary Havlock and our committed Board of Directors as well as our Health, Wellness and Education team championed by Sierra Clark (Community Empowerment Facilitator) and associates Amanda Bartles (Lactation Loop), Courtney West (3 Gems Doula Services), Sara Hunter (Birth Photographer), Jill M. Wood (Penn State), as well as our We Build Tampa Bay partnerships for special events. Please watch our Team page as we welcome new members for workshops including Unlimited Pediatrics, Embracing Joy Perinatal Wellness, The Natal Network, and Keesha Brundridge; This is Me – Whole Girl Summer Camp, to name a few. Press Release to come. (Special thanks to Jesse English for beautiful music during our Board Building Event!, Mother Kombucha for beverages and 15th St Farm for cake!))

Scenes From Our Board Building Event and Barbara Birthday Party

Board Building Party at MoM

Graphic featuring the Health, Wellness & Education Committee of the Museum of Motherhood, with a pink heart and butterfly design, promoting empowerment for mothers and others to access community tools. — Health Wellness and Education at the Museum of Motherhood

We Are Pleased To Announce New Programming at MoM

Health, Wellness and Education Committee — Health, Wellness, Education Committee MoM 2025

The Fourth Trimester: with Rachael Somerman, Founder of Unlimited Pediatric and a Child Development Therapist. This Monthly Group is for pregnant people and those post-natal moms looking for support during this time of vulnerability, recovery and rapid growth. Rachael will be onsite at MoM to answer your questions and to support your physical and emotional journey. Bring you bellies! Bring your babies! Adoptive moms welcome too! We will make sure you have a safe and inclusive space to share your questions, concerns, milestones and emotional & developmental needs. Free with a suggested donation of annual MoM Membership in the Mothers Club $30.

Thursday 6/26 & 7/24 10-11:30 AM. SIGN UP HERE or CALL 877-711-MOMS (6667)

Embracing Joy – Perinatal Wellness and Maternal Mental Health with Shamella (Mel) Joy. Mel is a licensed therapist and certified perinatal mental health specialist. Her personal and professional experiences have shown her there is a dire need for humans to come together and relearn what it means when we say “it takes a village” to bear and raise a child. Mel wants to be a part of your support system to ensure confidence in yourself, remove the guilt and actually enjoy the experience of parenting. She is excited to embark on this journey with you, and hopes the connections we forge will be helpful as they are informative, empowering, and a catalyst for positive change. Mel will meet bi-weekly alternating a week at MoM followed by a virtual meet up. Dates TBA. Free with a suggested donation of annual MoM Membership in the Mothers Club $30. SIGN UP HERE or CALL 877-711-MOMS (6667)

The Natal Network – Loss, Grief and Resiliency – Knowledge is Power: The Natal Network launched in 2024 by Tracie Williams who is a Licensed Practical Nurse as well as certified doula with sixteen years of healthcare experience. Tracie has rendered care to different age groups from birth to geriatrics. With a strong background in direct care and management she decided to navigate her critical thinking skills towards helping others have healthier outcomes with growing their families.

Outside of professional passions she has had her own journey with motherhood which has anchored her in compassion for families. Her first pregnancy resulted in preterm delivery at 19 weeks. Williams’ gave birth to a daughter she would never have the oppourtunity to raise. Babies are not viable outside of the womb until around 24 weeks. Thankfully motherhood became sweeter and she was able to have her rainbow baby in 2012 along with another addition in 2023. Tracie will be creating content for MoM through our social media connections that aim to elucidate the joys and pain of m/otherhood, backed by science and herstory. In-person and virtual groups begin taking place monthly in June. ree with a suggested donation of annual MoM Membership in the Mothers Club $30. SIGN UP HERE or CALL 877-711-MOMS (6667)

This is Me – Whole Girl Summer Camp; A Body Education Program for Learning, Growing, and Thriving From the Inside Out.

This camp balances empowerment with body-knowledge, appealing to 12–16-year-old girls by emphasizing confidence, familiarity, and control over their own health.Each day has a theme, a mix of interactive activities, reflection, and safe space discussions. It blends science, self-awareness, and practical tools with creative, age-appropriate learning. Limited to 12 per session. Led by Keesha Brundridge – Science Teacher middle school & the MoM Team. Sessions are:

July 14-18th -1 week 12-2:30

August 4-8th -1 week 12-2:30

$125 for the week

SIGN UP HERE or CALL 877-711-MOMS (6667)

Become a Mentor at MoM — Mentorships at MoM

SUMMER CAMP FOR GIRLS

Board Building at MoM as we Party with a Purpose and Celebrate our Team

WHAT? Maybe you haven’t heard of the Museum of Motherhood (yet).

HECK YEAH! Maybe you are curious about what a Museum of Motherhood is all about? What! A women’s museum, right here in Tampa Bay!

IMPRESSIVE: With a team of over 20 volunteers, a kick-butt team of fundraisers, grant writers, and board members – MoM is ready to GROW again.

JOIN US: How better to celebrate than to honor our incredible team: It’s Barbara’s birthday. Barbara Lynch #AmbassadorBarb is our Executive Board Secretary. She is a dynamo and we wanna acknowledge her in all her glorious ambition for MoM’s growth here locally. Oh, and PS – It’s Mary Havlock’s birthday too – so it’s gonna be a special, amazing opportunity to get to know us better.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 3rd 6-7:30PM at the Museum with light fare and sparkling kombucha by Mother Kombucha. RSVP directly to Founding Director Joy’s cell phone: 207-504-3001.

MoM Is Board Building

Dear Board Candidate & Future MoM Collaborator,

We are thrilled that you are considering a volunteer leadership role with the Museum of Motherhood (MoM)! We are Florida’s first and only women’s museum. Inside this packet you will find out about our history and mission, the precedence for this project, and our current strategic priorities.

Please take time to explore our website (mommuseum.org) for additional details about our current events and programming. If you feel inspired by our mission and would like to get more involved, the next step for board membership is an interview with a current board member. Please reach out to info@mommuseum.org to request an interview, and one of our team members will connect you directly with a board member to conduct the initial interview.

If you would like to meet our team to get to know us better, we warmly invite you to join us on Tuesday, June 3rd, from 6:30-8:30pm at MoM for a “meet the board” private event. This event will celebrate our current board, and specifically honor our Board Secretary, Barbara Lynch. Barb’s birthday falls on June 3rd, and she has graciously dedicated her party to supporting the growth of our board.

On behalf of the entire team, we thank you for your time and consideration! Volunteer leadership has brought MoM into its most dynamic and successful year to-date. We are eager to continue with this momentum and achieve our vision for uplifting m/others with an international destination museum.

Welcome New Team Member: Health, Wellness and Education Committee

Tracie Williams is the proprietor of The Natal Network and the founder of Jehovah Rapha- Jireh Transformation Health Inc. Both organizations are dedicated to advancing women’s health and wellness. The Natal Network, a Tampa Bay-based doula service, was established to enhance maternal-fetal outcomes. Additionally, the company has implemented a men’s mental health initiative, supported by a partnership with Supportive Therapy Empowering People (STEP). Williams’s passion for healthcare stems from her personal experiences with birth and loss. These experiences have instilled in her a sense of relatability and compassion for the birthing community. Williams has been a licensed practical nurse for the past 15 years. Her diverse experience, including hospital settings, skilled nursing facilities, maternal-fetal medicine, and family clinics, has equipped her with the knowledge and skills to make a meaningful impact.

Summer Camp for Girls

Coming to MoM this summer: This is Me – Whole Girl Summer Camp. The camp is designed to facilitate embodiment empowerment with information and education targeting body knowledge and awareness, periods, safe sex education, consent and procreative knowledge. For ages 12–16-year-old girls to increase confidence, knowledge, and control over their own health.

Camp Dates are July 28-Aug 1 and August 4-8th. Five day camp, 2.5 hours a day – Kids are welcome to hang out longer in the afternoon. 12-2:20PM Monday-Friday. Camp is FREE (with requested donation of $125)– Limit 12 girls per session.

Registration Opens June 1st. Use our SIGN UP FORM TO SUBMIT and WE’LL GET BACK TO YOU ASAP.

A Year’s Worth of Programming – Click the Banner to See Our Offerings

MoM has spelled out an entire year of exhibits, programming, workshops and Health, Wellness and Education events. Click the pic above to peek at all the glorious plans that are in the works with MoM!

TONIGHT AT MoM

MAY 27 6-7:30PM International Day of Families, Hosted by Sierra Clark.

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

May is Mothers Month! This Weekend, 2025: ILLUMINATE!

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!

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

Barbara's Birthday Bash and Board Building Party on June 3rd 2023 at the Museum of Motherhood — Barbara’s Birthday Bash and Board Building

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

MaMaPaLooZa Rocks St Petersburg

If you’ve been following MoM’s growth in St. Pete then you can celebrate along with us! So much to be proud of. The MoM Conference 2025, The MoM Art Auction, The We Build Tampa Bay initiative, Raisa Nosova’s beautiful gift of a custom mural onsite at The Factory, Health, Wellness and Education workshops, Black Maternal Health week exhibit and new friends, opportunities and recognition. We are grateful, indeed! Thanks Nanette Wiser for the great story this week in TBN. Wanna read more? Story’s here!

Now, get ready to ROCK with the 2nd annual local MaMaPaLooZa May 4th in partnership with FloridaRAMA at The Factory. This FREE Family festival features a music stage, discounted tickets to FloridaRAMA and MoM’s Escape Womb Experience, raffles, giveaways, sampling, health resources and kids activities that celebrate m/others and the people who love them. See you from 11AM – 4PM for a very cool one-of-a-kind day. FYI, MaMaPaLooZa began in NYC in 2003 and went on to pop up in 25 cities and 4 countries over the course of the next ten years. In 2011, attention turned to the Museum of Motherhood and its activities, though MaMaPaLooZa continued to thrive in a variety of locations. More about MaMaPaLooZa.

Mahray
The Tall Order
Girls Rock St Pete
Hex Appeal
AnaKitty
Delaran
The Rum Syndicate
Fine Line
BayFirst Financial
Pinellas Community Foundation
Rays/Rowdies
SDC Strategies

UP NEXT, MAY 8th (Artist Talk) & 10th (Second Saturday at MoM)

WHEN: May 8^th and 10th, 2025

WHERE: May 8^th 6:30-8PM OXH & Gallery Noir in the Kress Building 1624 E 7^th Ave. Ybor City

May 10^th 7PM MoM 2606 Fairfield Ave. S St Petersburg, FL Building 7, 2^nd Saturday Art Walk

WHO: Julienne Doko is a French dance performer, teacher, and choreographer with roots in the Central African Republic and based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She studied a range of traditional and contemporary dance styles including ballet, jazz, Hip Hop, samba, West African and Afro-Brazilian. Her performance aims to further connect us across oceans, bodies and bridges. Registration opens May 4th for the artist talk and performance. Press Release.

Internships at MoM

Domi Pila – In her own words: I am an English graduate from the University of Cambridge interested in literary and visual storytelling within cultural heritage spaces, and more broadly. As a published poet and illustrator, I am especially fascinated by the difficulties of turning complex experiences into cohesive narratives, and enjoy exploring liminal spaces and characters in my work; I am also often drawn to mythical and religious representations of women, and themes surrounding mental health. Last year, I completed an internship at Ben Uri Gallery and Museum in London, where I developed my interest in the intersections of visual culture, history, place, and identity through supporting exhibitions and projects relating to Jewish, refugee, and immigrant artists in Britain. My personal highlights from this internship include assisting with the launch of a photography exhibition in partnership with the Centre for British Photography, and writing an article comparing the poetry practices of two artists for the museum’s online repository. In addition to this experience within a research unit and curatorial team, my curiosity surrounding the possibilities of interdisciplinary storytelling and research as a way of conveying experiences, histories, and omissions makes me especially excited to work with MoM’s archives. Alongside this internship, I am an English tutor and volunteer, and spend my free time on long nature walks, and drinking large quantities of coffee.

Chelsey Cabrera – In her own words: I am a sophomore Mechanical Engineering student at USF. I love to paint, crochet, and sew in my free time. I aim to use art, community service, research, and film to capture the current state of Reproductive Justice in the United States.

Chelsey helped with the MoM Conference at USF and is also assisting with some shift work at MoM while completing a special project during her time with us through May.

Have You Submitted To The Journal of Mother Studies (yet)?!

he Journal of Mother Studies (JourMS) is open for submissions through May 31. Submit Now! Mother Studies is a field of interdisciplinary study devoted to the issues, experiences, topics, history, and culture of m/others, mothering, and motherhood. Go to our menu, click the first drop down tab to find the current issue.

The Journal of Mother Studies (JourMS) is open for submissions through May 31. Submit Now! Mother Studies is a field of interdisciplinary study devoted to the issues, experiences, topics, history, and culture of m/others, mothering, and motherhood. Go to our menu, click the first drop down tab to find the current issue.

JourMS accepts submissions for scholarly articles, papers, and projects by academics and students, including fine art presentations and books for review annually. We especially encourage submissions from applicants and presenters at the MoM Academic and Arts Conference–on specific topics through the Museum of Motherhood– but are open to content on a wide variety of topics for the journal. Our annual CFP goes out each October. The conference takes place in March. A schedule can be found under ‘Guidelines‘.