NEW EXHIBIT! Caring – St Pete

Caring St. Pete: 6-Week Summer Intern Project Plan For High School Interns and Community members at the Museum of Motherhood

Project Overview: Explore and interpret the value of caregiving—both unpaid and paid (carework)—through research, storytelling, art, and community engagement. The final product will be a curated exhibit at the Museum of Motherhood.

WEEK 1 – Understanding Care Work

Theme: What is Care Work? Why does it matter?

  • Workshop: Introduction to caregiving: domestic labor, elder care, childcare, disability support, emotional labor.
  • Assignment: Choose 1 form of unpaid caregiving and 1 form of paid caregiving to research.
  • Field Task: Conduct 2 informal interviews (e.g., a parent, a neighbor, a paid caregiver).
  • Creative Prompt: Write a personal reflection or short poem on who cared for you growing up.
  • Deliverable: 1-page research summary + a creative written piece.

Notes & Reflections:

  • Jada Legacy Interview
  • Caring- St Pete: Playtime at MoM
  • Jada Poem
  • Unpaid and Paid Caregiver
  • These hands by Jada-Marie Brake The interns were tasked with creating a though provoking artwork about unseen care-work. The art work shows a cracked pair of hands holding up a care-free child. Through this I meant to show how motherhood can often be painful and tiring, while often the child will reap those benefits.
  • These hands by Jada-Marie Brake The interns were tasked with creating a though provoking artwork about unseen care-work. The art work shows a cracked pair of hands holding up a care-free child. Through this I meant to show how motherhood can often be painful and tiring, while often the child will reap those benefits.
  • Florence Nightengale reimagined
  • Florence Reimagined
  • Janilyla’s perspective
  • Seen/Unseen Care
  • Big Sister Babysitter
  • Student Podcast Caring St Pete
  • Big Sister Babysitter
  • Caregiver Interview

WEEK 2 – Fieldwork & Photojournalism

Theme: Seeing Care in the Community

  • Workshop: Ethical storytelling and photo documentation basics.
  • Assignment: Take 5–10 photographs of caregiving in action (both paid and unpaid).
  • Creative Prompt: “A Day in the Life of a Caregiver” – fiction or nonfiction.
  • Deliverable: Photo essay with short captions.

Notes & Reflections:

WEEK 3 – Digging Deeper: The Politics of Care

Theme: Who gets paid to care? Who doesn’t?

  • Workshop: Economic and racial disparities in caregiving roles.
  • Assignment: Research a figure in caregiving or labor activism.
  • Activity: Record a mini-podcast (3–5 minutes) summarizing their story.
  • Creative Prompt: Write a letter from the perspective of a caregiver demanding recognition.
  • Deliverable: Audio recording + written caregiver letter.

Notes & Reflections:

WEEK 4 – Art as Activism

Theme: Telling Stories Through Art

  • Workshop: Explore care-focused artists (e.g., Mierle Laderman Ukeles).
  • Assignment: Draft a visual or multimedia piece about care work.
  • Creative Prompt: Create a visual metaphor for invisible labor.
  • Deliverable: Sketch or prototype + 150-word artist statement.

Notes & Reflections:

WEEK 5 – Build the Exhibit

Theme: From Process to Public

  • Workshop: Curating an exhibit – layout, labels, interactivity.
  • Assignment: Finalize art, writing, and media.
  • Group Activity: Plan the exhibit layout and write a collective mission statement.
  • Deliverables: Final creative work + wall text + mission statement.

Notes & Reflections:

WEEK 6 – Launch + Reflection

Theme: Sharing Care

  • Workshop: Public speaking + storytelling.
  • Activity: Host a public exhibit opening.
  • Assignment: Prepare a 2-minute personal project summary.
  • Creative Prompt: “What I’ve learned about care” – final reflection.
  • Deliverable: Exhibit presentation + final reflection (written or video).

Notes & Reflections:

Ongoing Weekly Tasks

  • Docent Duty: 4 days per week PT
  • Project Time: 4 days per week
  • Care Journal: Keep ongoing entries of observations, emotions, and inspirations

Weekly Journal Prompts:

  • What surprised you this week?
  • What are you still curious about?
  • Where do you see care showing up around you?
  • How do you imagine a more caring world?

The Politics of Care

Would You Like to Contribute Work to This Exhibit?

Download the PDF notebook

Work through the instructions

Email us at INFO@MOMmuseum.org

We can’t wait to see your work and share!