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Join us in Welcoming MOMs Newest JourMS Editor: Nicole Musselman

Hello MOM Family! We ask you to join us in welcoming our new incoming JourMS Editor for 2022-2023, Nicole Musselman! Nicole has already initiated many efforts to support MOM’s latest CFP.

Nicole is part of the English Department at the University of South Florida as a Ph.D. Student and English Instructor. She is also the mother of a wonderful boy. We are so excited to see what Nicole will bring to this position this coming year!

Q. What led you on your path toward becoming an educator, and scholar and being interested in mother studies?

I was told from a very young age I may never have children. When I started my master’s degree in 2018, I began researching alternative forms of motherhood in nineteenth-century American literature. I became pregnant with my son in 2019. I continued studying motherhood from varying viewpoints in literature and the media.

Q. How did you find out about the Museum of Motherhood? 

I was first told about the Museum of Motherhood by my mother-in-law. She watched the news, saw a short featurette on the museum, and sent it to me. This was early on during Covid, and I had a newborn at home, so I went online and visited the website.

Q. What made you want to work with MOM? 

I believe that carving out a special place for mothers to come together and share their experiences is very important. The academic would, in particular, is long overdue for a journal focused entirely on mother studies, and the important roles mothers play in various fields outside of the domestic sphere.  

Q. What are your plans for your time here at the museum? Or what are you most excited to do in your new role here as the JourMS Editor at MOM? 

I am beyond grateful to be working with so many talented people interested in building a community for mothers and drawing attention to mother studies. I hope to bring new and exciting work to JourMS to provide a sense of awareness, community, and love in a world still reeling from the pandemic, Ukraine War, and continued racial inequality. 

Q. What has been your most memorable experience through your work so far? Or what are you most proud of in your line of work up until this point?

I attended a portion of the MOM conference in March and was in profound admiration of every presenter. The honesty, raw emotional responses, and crucial academic work presented were amazing. I feel honored to have been a part of that audience. 

Q. What would you consider to be one of the most impactful moments of what you consider the act of “mothering” in your life? Was it something you personally experienced or acted yourself? 

My family had to make many sacrifices during Covid to keep our newborn son safe. It was very hard not to have visitors meet our newborn, but I believe we had the right decision as he was born five weeks early, and we were unsure how he would respond if he got sick from Covid.

Q. What would you consider to be one of the most impactful moments in HERstory that has impacted who you are today?

I think the idea of embracing that women are more than mothers or can mother in different ways without their own biological children. Going through infertility made me realize that so many forms of mothers are out there and need to be recognized.

Q. What would you consider to be a fun fact about you that you would want to share with the MOM family?  

I already stated this earlier, but after being told I may never have children, I have a two-year-old son who loves dinosaurs so much it makes my heart melt.

 Q. What thoughts would you like to leave our MOM family with as you begin this new journey with them through your future work here at MOM? 

Being a mom or even trying to become a mom is hard. Never be afraid to ask for help!

Passionate about topics related to m/otherhood? Reproductive identities? Art? HERstory? Mothers Making Art? Mothers in Academia? Women and Gender Studies? Lifelong students can follow the Museum of Motherhood here, join our new ONLINE COMMUNITY, and we appreciate any and all support? Be sure to follow us on social media and check out our virtual storefront for merchandise!

If you have any inquiries regarding getting involved with MOM or are interested in being part of our Living Board, you can find out information about what being a board member entails under our About tab or clicking the link HERE: Living Museum Annual Volunteers – Join Us! – MUSEUM OF MOTHERHOOD (mommuseum.org)

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Blog Digital Media Internships Featured Internships JourMS Literature Living Board Announcements USF

Join us in Welcoming MOMs Newest Interns: Teddy Friedline and Sarah Akomoh

Hello MOM Family! We are thrilled to announce our two most recent additions to our amazing team, Teddy Friedline and Sarah Akomoh. Teddy will work closely with our JourMS editor to ensure a high-quality publication representing all the latest in motherhood studies. Sarah will work towards securing grants for our organization to continue our march into the future, securing our place for years to come.

New to MOM this Summer

Teddy L. Friedline (they/them) is a recent graduate of Washington College, where they won the 2022 Sophie Kerr Prize, the largest undergraduate writing prize in the nation. Their creative work, which often focuses on motherhood, can be found in Yes Poetry, streetcake, Burning Jade Magazine, and elsewhere. They are co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of FAIRY PIECE MAG, a literary magazine focused on breaking old rules and creating new ones.

They are especially excited to be working on MOM’s Journal of Mother Studies (JourMS), reviewing both creative and academic work. Teddy also looks forward to promoting JourMS widely through social media and exploring how to better disseminate the incredible contributions of our amazing authors and artists through the digital humanities.

Also Please Welcome

Sarah Akomoh

Sarah Akomoh is currently a first year MA student with a concentration in literature at USF. Her research interests are primarily connected to Black feminism and the dynamics of womanhood for both African and African American women. She is excited to intern at The Museum of Motherhood this summer and can’t wait to learn and give her research skills to the grant writing process.

Through the course of her internship, she commits to using her research skills to learn and then secure general operating support for the Museum of Motherhood through various grant writing initiatives. As part of moving the Museum forward, she will also research local and national grants and come up with a plan to support the finances of the MOM Museum. Membership and loyalty is a key dynamic feature of the MOM Museum. Therefore, Sarah aims to collate past contributors and reach out to our members to appreciate and initiate potential future patronage and sponsorship.

Passionate about topics related to m/otherhood? Reproductive identities? Art? HERstory? Mothers Making Art? Mothers in Academia? Women and Gender Studies? Lifelong students can follow the Museum of Motherhood here, join our new ONLINE COMMUNITY, and we appreciate any and all support? Be sure to follow us on social media and check out our virtual storefront for merchandise!

If you have any inquiries regarding getting involved with MOM or are interested in being part of our Living Board, you can find out information about what being a board member entails under our About tab or clicking the link HERE: Living Museum Annual Volunteers – Join Us! – MUSEUM OF MOTHERHOOD (mommuseum.org)

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Food Fights, Life, Death, and M/otherhood

Letter from the Founder: Martha Joy Rose

I’ll admit, I am mostly an observer on social media. Hanging back, commenting occasionally, and mostly tuning in when it seems interesting friend-wise, geographically or plant/food-wise. My kids send me weird stuff all the time from here and occasionally I get lost in the weirdness.

Recently, there has been an outcry in the broader social media community and in the news regarding a plethora of topics having to do with mothers. 

I’ve been immersed in the world of M/otherhood for a very long time as a scholar, a family person, and a museum curator. I think a lot more could be done, with our group here at the museum, and in our new Membership Community to collectively empower us.

For today I would just like to put it out there, that the formula crisis- or I should say the ‘lack’ of infant formula crisis is a reflection on how we treat those to procreate in general in America.

I want to avoid any hot responses or trolling type of things and just generally assert that for the population that makes humankind viable (mothers), for better or worse, who live in a country with no Social Security benefits for their time at home, an ongoing non-equitable pay situation, and a lack of federally mandated parental leave, the formula crisis is just another tip of the iceberg (among many other things). For many this is a life and death situation that begins with birth and ends, in the case of many, with death. I am specifically noting the fact that the US has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed nation.

Now I recognize that social media is often a place to vent and occasionally to also problem solve with positive suggestions. Advocating that women should simply breast-feed is not really in tune with everybody’s reality. There are a myriad of reasons for this, so I would be in favor of those with experience, sharing their strength and hope. 

For example, the New York Milk Bank has been working for years to distribute donated breast milk. Another recent news story I stumbled on suggested that mother’s milk may soon be able to be grown in a lab (?), and when my kids were infants I sometimes supplemented with a homegrown mixture of powdered goats milk, carrot juice and molasses (the recipe can still be found online), though I am not advocating with for a specific solution as the founder of MOM, but rather raising the bar on visibility of those with experience in this area.

MOM’s own Journal of Mother Studies, too has been a really interesting source of shared scholarship on the subject. Catherine Ma wrote a piece on breastfeeding exposure and results for JourMS in 2016 and in 2017, Shannon K. Carter and Beatriz Reyes-Foster wrote the piece Peer Breast Milk Sharing as Resistance to Patriarchal Control about the informal network of mothers who do share milk between cohorts.

Tonight, May 22nd from 7-8:30PM, MOM shares 90 minutes with filmmaker and scholar Bonnie Silvestri online on Zoom: her film addresses American family policy among other things. The screening and talk back are free. The best way to participate is to sign up at our Community and then RSVP to join us for the 34 minute film, followed by open discussion.

Before, I sign off today, I also want to share the work of one fierce, feminist advocate Jul who created the banner for this blog and also creates awesome items which we’ve added to our store onsite at the MOM Art Annex, because, well, because every little bit helps. We need the next generation of women artists, leaders, moms, and advocates to rise. Here is Jul, in her own words:

My name is Jul and I am the artist and owner of Jul Uncensored—a Shop and Podcast centered around body positivity, sex education and social issues! I sell art, pussy pillows, badass t-shirts, funny feminist finds, and so much more in order to create awareness, spread positivity, and maybe even make people smile and laugh! The majority of the goods sold are made with up/cycled, reused, repurposed materials in order to cut down on environmental waste. You can follow me on my journey on my socials @jul_uncensored or on my website: http://www.juluncensored.com

For me personally, and for the Museum and our members collectively, whatever we can do to spread the good word, create collaborations and to encourage community, is a win-win. At least we’re not suffering alone, and who knows – we just might find solutions if we work together?!

What are your thoughts and how might we collaboratively move ahead to support each other and to solve these kinds of problems? Hope you can join us for the film tonight. Here’s the link again. Once you join the FREE community, you will have access to the event ‘Funnel of Dreams’. It would be awesome to see you there. Because, really – Motherhood IS one fuck of a journey!

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Blog Cinema Education Featured Featured Artists Feminism History home Media MOM Art Annex motherhood Policy USF

Funnel of Dreams Film Screening Online May 22

With the goal of sparking conversations around the topic of caregivers, breadwinners, and family policy, film director Bonnie Silvestri hosts an online film screening and post-film talkback.

The film Funnel of Dreams follows Silvestri, her husband, and their child on a quest to understand the United Kingdom’s policies for families. These policies include paid parental leave, childcare services, and the children’s right to play. 

This way of life is often featured in academic presentations about Scandinavian countries, but in this film the Silvestris investigate how paid family leave affects families in the United Kingdom while they spend time together.

“In the midst of a global pandemic, we wanted to think about our work/home life paradigm and how we might improve things for a better future,” says Bonnie. “In our film, we dive into the history of motherhood, the struggle for women’s rights, and the issues related to family leave in the lives of working parents.”

Bonnie continues “When we became parents, we were surprised to learn that the United States is the only industrialized nation not providing paid family leave.” 

She explains, “We wanted to learn more about a country with a robust framework for new parents. Our short documentary film explores our personal experience with our young daughter living overseas along with interviews with parents, policymakers, and other experts.” 

The film was an official selection of the Through Women’s Eyes International Film Festival, Social and Economic Justice Festival, and the International Social Change Film Festival among others.

For over a decade Bonnie has taught courses including Women and the Law at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee and won the 2015 Graham-Frey Civic Award from the Florida Campus Compact for outstanding contributions to the development of civic learning and engagement in sustaining participatory democracy.

Funnel of Dreams is 34 minutes in length and will be screened in our Zoom room (LINK IS HERE/ JOIN AND RSVP) at the MOM Community site on Sunday May 22. The film will be screened first with a discussion to follow for a total of 90 minutes beginning at 7PM and ending at 8:30PM EST. Hope you can join us!

#MOMmuseum #WomenMadeFilms #Families #Motherhood #MomsRising #MuseumofMotherhood #FunnelOfDreams #BonnieSilvestri #Motherhood #PaidLeave #AmericanValues #FamilyLeave #MOM #JoinMama #Civics #WomenAndLaw #Women

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What Makes Us Stronger

Hello World. Read here: New podcast, MOM Conference, Acquisitions, and the Feminist Playhouse!

We continue to keep our focus high and our voices strong here at MOM. To that end, we had a beautiful weekend in St Petersburg filled with art and celebration as people from all walks of life and far-ranging geographies came to enjoy the MOM Art Annex gardens (featuring art by Luci Westphal from the AEHK neighborhood and in our online store), exhibits, as well as the Feminist Playhouse, where Martha Joy Rose lectured widely on womyn, equality, and mother Studies, while making lemon art.

Special shout out to our Remote Residency Participant Rebecca Louise Clarke (Monash University, Australia), who is completing her PhD as well as a book on maternal objects and museums for Routledge Press. Her recent feature on cardiCast episode 84 podcast was a marvelous and generous sharing of our work here at the Museum of Motherhood and her time studying with Martha Joy Rose. It is a marvelous listen and well worth tuning in (link is above and here).

This weekend, MOM hosts its Annual Art and Academic MOM Conference in person and on Zoom. Only registered participants may attend this two-day activity. Our topic this year features Creativity for a Cause with luminaries, activists, and professionals from around the world. You must be a member of our new Community Page to attend and be pre-approved due to Zoom limitations.

Finally, we have been slowly building our collections here at MOM. Our newest additions to the collection are Jo Spence, Remodeling Photo History: Revisualization 1981-82, black and white print (England). This photo serves as a study in deconstructing breastfeeding, asking us to interrogate deeply held assumptions (with a totally punk rock spin).

Also new to the collection is Sallie Hackett Brown’s sculpture Tender or Threat. Sally is an AEHK icon. The sculpture’s movement of the wood and metal is evocative of a figurative male/female dance, with all its complexities, though the sculpture itself is quite simple.

The Mother Tree is on loan from artist Helen Hiebert. Helen is a nationally recognized paper artist and a friend of MOM since the museum days in New York City. This seven- foot-high sculpture is intended to invoke the way in which nursing mothers nourish the world. The long silken tendrils cascading from her chest lead towards a collection of hand crocheted yarn collected around her feet which reach into the community connecting all our best intentions. (Also pictured in the background, ‘In Black and White’, photographs by Alexia Nye Jackson for Mother the Job).

Our online fundraiser is ongoing. Please consider joining us by adding your name to our Mother Tree Fundraiser. The link to our GO FUND ME is here!

GO FUND ME / MOTHER TREE FUNDRAISER

#MOMmuseum #Mothers #MarthaJoyRose #HelenHiebert #MotherTree #JoSpence #LuciWestphal #MOMConference #MuseumofMotherhood #Feminism #AnnualMOMConference #Collections #HistoricKenwood #AEHKstpete #Women #Womyn #Florida #Museums #Art #MotherTheJob

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TWO UPCOMING EVENTS: AEHK Artists Studio Tour & Annual Academic MOM Conference

The Artist Enclave of Historic Kenwood is proud to announce its 2022 “Artists at Work” Studio Tour 
 
Sat. & Sun. – March 19th & 20th – 10 am to 5 pm/ This tour is free, self-guided and open to the public.

Enjoy two days exploring the Art & Culture filled neighborhood of Historic Kenwood while you view the exhibits of 24 artists at 17 different stops. You will experience a variety of work ranging from emerging artists to internationally recognized professionals. The self-guided tour will include work by ceramicists, sculptors, jewelers, photographers, mixed multi-media artists, fine art painters and
performance artists.

Museum founder and artist Martha Joy Rose will be onsite in her Feminist Playhouse unveiling new works focused on lemons (It’s been a rough couple of years) and breasts (m/others nourish the world). Also onsite, local performance artist and author, Crazy, Sexy, Magic Elsie giving “Free Hugs“.

For information and maps for the studio locations: https://www.historickenwood.org/artist-tour

What is the Artist Enclave and why is it so unique? In 2014, the St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved an Artist Enclave Overlay District in the Historic Kenwood Neighborhood. The special distinction allows a limited amount of commercial activity to take place. Artists can create artwork, teach students and sell their creations from their own homes. These special accommodations encourage a thriving arts community. Only two of these special artists’ overlays exist in St. Petersburg. 

Come and experience the Historic Kenwood neighborhood where Art Lives! Historic Kenwood is nationally recognized for its charming early 1900s historic bungalows. A detailed map, along with our Sponsor information, will be provided for those who want to walk, bike, or ride through the studio tour. They can also be found and printed in advance by clicking the link above or by going to:  https://www.historickenwood.org/artist-tour/
Then, the following weekend, MOM opens its doors onsite and virtually to our 2022 annual Arts and Academic MOM Conference. March 25 – 26th. The schedule will be posted online here the week preceding the event. Look for updates. All are welcome!

This year’s subject matter is about Creativity for a Cause! How do we move forward in the midst of pandemics, wars, and personal hardship? Here at MOM, we believe that art can save the world. Please JOIN us by joining our online Community. The conference will be live streamed. We request donations be made for daytime attendance in the amount of $25 per day. LINK is here to the Community. LINK to donations will be posted online for the conference there as well.

#AEHKstpete #HistoricKenwood #AEHKStudioTour2022 #MOMmuseum #Mothers #Womyn #FeministPlayhouse #MarthaJoyRose #JoinMama #Florida #Museums #Arts #Conference #AcademicConference #CreativityForACause #ArtCanSaveTheWorld #MuseumOfMotherhood
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Blog Caregiving Education Featured Feminism Living Board Announcements motherhood Opportunities USF

Join Us in Welcoming MOM’s New Living Board President Zabrina Shkurti

Zabrina Shkurti

Hello Mom Family! We ask you to join us in welcoming our new incoming Living Board President for 2022-2023 Zabrina Shkurti! We can’t wait to see all she will bring in her new position here at MOM.

Zabrina is a Florida native, part of the English Department at the University of South Florida as a PhD Student, and a mother of two boys. We celebrate the first official anniversary of the MOM Living Board and welcome her to the her new position as team member and President!

Q. What led you on your path toward becoming an educator, scholar and being interested in mother studies?

As cliche as it may seem, becoming a mother is what led me down this path! When I found out I was having twin boys, I started researching everything related to motherhood. As though the thought of having two new humans wasn’t overwhelming enough, the amount of literature, and conflicting literature at that, really ignited this scholarly interest. I wanted to know how women have been able to do it all through the years and as a literature scholar, I am particularly interested in how mothers are portrayed and treated in literature. 

Q. How did you find out about the Museum of Motherhood? 

I was attending the IAMAS conference in Fall 2021 and one of the speakers, Dr. Michelle Hughes Miller, brought up this organization. I immediately looked it up online and after perusing the site, I decided to reach out to see if there was anything I could do to assist with such an amazing mission. 

Q. What made you want to work with MOM? 

Mothers need a space to connect, reflect, and process with others who are familiar with the all-consuming pressures of motherhood. When I discovered this space, I quickly realized that this organization offered a community where women could do just that. For me, it is critical that mothers have the space to recognize their importance and their identities outside of motherhood as well and the residency program here gives women that chance to disconnect and focus on their own creations. 

Q. What are your plans for your time here at the museum? Or what are you most excited about to do in your new role here as Living Board President at MOM? 

I am most excited to be part of a community that offers support to other creatives and scholars–I hope that we can grow our community significantly so that the local area can come to recognize the important influence that the MOM organization can have not only locally, but globally as well. 

Q. What has been your most memorable experience through your work so far? Or what are you most proud of in your line of work up until this point?

I think the most significant aspect of my work thus far is really identifying a need in the world to help mothers recognize their own self-worth outside of just being moms. 

Q. What would you consider to be one of the most impactful moments of what you would consider to be the act of “mothering” in your life? Was it something you personally experienced or acted yourself? 

Connecting with other mothers who are also struggling with this notion of perfecting motherhood has probably been most impactful for me as a mother–I quickly realized that there is no such thing as perfection. We are all just trying to do the best we can, our kids as well, and if we just allow for a little space and a lot of grace, we’ll be able to make the most of this life together. Adopting this mindset has helped me enjoy the messy imperfection a little more.

Q. What would you consider to be one of the most impactful moments in HERstory that has impacted who you are today?

Just really starting to embrace this idea that as a woman, even though I can do it all, it doesn’t mean I have to. It is okay to ask for help from others and in fact, knowing when to spend time dedicated to yourself is a sign of strength and dare I say, wisdom.

Q. What would you consider to be a fun fact about you that you would want to share with the MOM family?  

I think I already gave this one away in an earlier question, but I am the mom of twin boys! 

 Q. What thoughts would you like to leave our MOM family with as you begin this new journey with them through your future work here at MOM? 

Honestly, the mantra I have tried to adopt and stick to since becoming a mother is to never let go of my own dreams–just because I became a mother does not mean I need to sacrifice everything else that is important to me. Hopefully one day my kids will look at me and the work I have done and think to themselves, damn that woman is unstoppable. 

Thank you for reading and getting to know our new Living Board President! Be sure to keep up with our blog and social media accounts as we prepare for Women’s History Month this March. Great things are to come!

Passionate about topics related to m/otherhood? Reproductive identities? Art? HERstory? Mothers Making Art? Mothers in Academia? Women and Gender Studies? Lifelong students can follow the Museum of Motherhood here, join our new ONLINE COMMUNITY, and we appreciate any and all support? Be sure to follow us on social media and check out our virtual storefront for merchandise!

If you have any inquiries regarding getting involved with MOM or are interested in being part of our Living Board, you can find out information about what being a board member entails under our About tab or clicking the link HERE: Living Museum Annual Volunteers – Join Us! – MUSEUM OF MOTHERHOOD (mommuseum.org)

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Art Blog Education Featured Featured Artists Feminism Media MOM Art Annex motherhood Opportunities Uncategorized

Visit MOM’s New Storefront With Guest Artist Feature: Luci Westphal

Visit our new MOM Storefront

MOM is thrilled to announce the opening of our new online store! In addition to our awesome new branded product line we will be featuring a new guest artist quarterly throughout the year. In every case, the artist feature will be something that is in-line with MOM’s values of multicultural inclusivity and will pull from multiple mediums. To that end, we are pleased to include Luci Westphal (2/22-5/2022) along with a few special items from her diverse portfolio. The link to the store is here and please read on to learn more about Luci and her creations.

Luci is a documentary filmmaker, artist, and photographer originally from Hamburg, Germany, who came to Florida to study film. After 20 years of traveling, working, and making art in Brooklyn, Berlin, and Colorado, she has returned to the south to join the Artist Enclave of Historic Kenwood (AEHK) in St. Petersburg, Florida. Now, with wonder and delight, she is able to explore and capture the lovely Florida landscapes, fauna, and flora with fresh eyes while continuing work on the third post-production edit of her film t All’s Well and Fair. 

Documentary Filmmaker and Photographer Luci Westphal

Luci is devoted to making the world a happier place. To that end, her social media and business support that missive. She has been photographing nature wherever she has lived or traveled. She is also at work on the third installment of a documentary that follows three punk moms through their trials, tribulations, and evolutions. 

Here are some more specifics about Luci and her endeavors.

LUCI WESTPHAL IN HER WORDS:

  • From 2010 until 2017, I published the weekly video series Moving Postcard, which gives you a glimpse every week of a special location, event or person. Always free to watch and share. 
  • In 1996, I began filming the on-going documentary project All’s Well and Fair. Every ten years (1996, 2006, 2016) I interview Florida punk rock moms Tina, Margaret, and Rachel, plus their children (!) and then release a new version of the film. The third version is currently in post-production. See Luci’s Patreon page here to view a trailer of the film and support her work.
  • In 2017, I launched Happier Place where I publish most of my photo essays and writing and sometimes videos that are a continuation of the Moving Postcard web series.
  • And all along the way, I photograph anything I find appealing: nature, animals, street art, cityscapes…
  • Please follow me: Twitter: https://twitter.com/luciwest Insta: https://www.instagram.com/luciwest/

Instagram: @luciwest

Twitter: @luciwest

We have asked Luci to join us as a featured artist in our online storefront because she represents the best in all of us: a willingness to work hard and play nicely with others, she is a woman who has demonstrated awesome filmmaking, art, and business skills, and she is a key member of the MOM community in St. Pete.

It has been our distinct pleasure to welcome Luci to MOM as our first featured artist at the MOM Storefront online. and also a person of fortitude and resilience, who happens to be as devoted to trees as we are.

About Our New Featured Artist Platform:

Our Invitation: You are invited to participate in our ‘Featured Artist’ segment at the Museum of Motherhood online. Our intention is to highlight the work of a broad community of individuals as we collect, preserve, and disseminate articles, books, artifacts, ephemera, images, and research on all aspects of the art, science, and history of women, m/others and families, including reproductive identities, Mother Earth, and spirituality. 

Our storefront actively promotes members within our community for the purposes of starting great conversations, creating thought-provoking exhibits, and sharing information, education, and works from a diverse, inclusive, and multicultural perspective. 


It is our desire that these works, for sale, need not be exclusive to our site, but rather support the creator of the works as well as MOM through their sales through our storefront. Artist is responsible for shipping and shipping cost as well as returns. All processing happens through MOM with the bulk of all monies going back to the artist.

Write us if you are interested in participating and make sure to include a sample of your work: INFO@MOMmuseum.org

For any additional questions regarding who we are and what we do here at MOM, along with other programs we offer, be sure to browse our website or email us at Info@MOMmuseum.org. We are excited to start this new program with our community of artists at MOM to support their talents and causes for the community at large. Be sure check re to check out our storefront after browsing to support these fantastic individuals.

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Things In-between

By Rebecca Louise Clarke

Of course, one day there will be a museum collection about the pandemic. In fact, they’re working on it right now, collecting the pieces of a crisis as it unfolds in the hope that somehow it won’t get lost in the movement of time, that one day we will see ourselves or have ourselves be seen.

But knowing that history involves selection, that some pieces of memory will necessarily be chosen over others and therefore some of us will blow away, I want to show a vision of my life, my family’s life over the last two years. It could be two years, one or three because who knows? It has been a time, in which time has been lost. Each day seems the same and yet things move forward.

These things are my daughter’s/mine/her Dad’s. These moments are my own, enmeshed in the fabric of my family.

I don’t want our memories to be swallowed up by that terrifying giant; the pandemic; our experiences to be defined by a turbulent era of history. The little things that together make up our lives, have been injured, but still, those little things keep breathing. Most of the time they drag themselves, tired and bloody, but now and then, they unleash a triumphant boogie.

Our ginger tomcat died. The neighbour’s house was torn down.  Adult teeth erupted, school started, stopped and started again.  And the things in-between.

Here is my vision. A basket of things from me to you.

Mask
Family
Hieroglyphics


Spoonville
‘Let it go’
Feelings
Breathe
Broken house
Goodbye
Storm
Offerings
Angel

Photographs by Richard Clarke and Rebeca Louise Clarke [Original interview here].

Rebecca Louise Clark

Rebecca Louise Clarke is an author, scholar and media artist who is interested in the ways mothering and memory are depicted in museums. Her book Representations of Mothers and the Maternal in Museums, to be published in early 2023 by Routledge is currently in development and examines the ways mothering is represented in museum collections and exhibitions. During her residency with the Museum of Motherhood (M.O.M.), Rebecca is doing an in-depth case study of M.O.M. Her analysis seeks to discover ways that experiences of mothering as voiced by mothers themselves, can challenge heteronormative, stereotypical ideals about motherhood and how innovative museum practice can disrupt conventional ideals about motherhood.

If you are interested in applying for a guest residency here at MOM, please go to our website HERE: https://bit.ly/3uRgugm  to find out more. BE SURE TO HURRY! Spots have been filling FAST! We hope that future tours of the space will be available soon, but they are by appointment only in Artist Enclave Historic Kenwood: “where art lives.”

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Mom Residency Highlights Artist and Educator Donna Lewis

Artist and Educator Donna Lewis

As this year comes to a close and everyone celebrates this holiday season we wanted to share with you all the last MOM Art Annex Resident of 2021 . Donna Lewis is an accomplished artist and educator who values the sacredness of mother earth, and has found it to be a source of constant comfort throughout her life. It is from her experiences with nature, and her own experiences as a mother and caregiver, that she expresses her creative spirit through art.

Throughout her residency with us this December, we hope you will be able to see the beauty of the world through her art, and come to appreciate the lasting connections we make with the world around us that shape who we all come into being with each new phase of life. Continue reading to personally hear from Donna to learn more about her art, her career, and life.

I turned 65 this year. With that change, I retired from my job of twenty-five years as an educator. After teaching art and architecture to high school students, I am now learning to let go of the frenetic pace, the relentless work-cycle, and focus on my own desires and passions.

I am learning to release my creative, art-making self in order to heal and bring forth a new chapter in my life. But, it is not always easy.

Being committed to the process of creativity means living in synchronicity. There is a constant need to balance movement with downtime, exercise with rest, and the mundane with the magnificent. I realize the importance of allowing myself the freedom to let my mind and heart wander, as I slowly learn to enjoy, and feel deserving, of what is to come. 

I search for clarity about some major life-decisions, taking the time to swim, to walk, to breathe, and to use the materials at hand to better nurture ideas and self-reflection.

Nature and trees are important to me. They have supported me, cleansed me, and calmed me throughout these many years. A walk in the park or alongside the river has always allowed for invaluable insight and consolation to arise, even in the most difficult times. Even in the midst of a busy teaching schedule, or personal challenges, a weekend in nature, or a summer trip to the sea, has inspired me and lifted me in inexplicable ways.

Treehouse, Watercolor by Donna Lewis

But, fleeing the city isn’t always necessary. Some of my best ideas have arisen during my treks through New York. I have been a resident of Manhattan for four decades and experienced the concrete jungle as a place with pockets of nature to discover, even amidst the hustle and bustle. Luckily, I considered Washington Square Park to be my backyard, the West Side Highway my exercise spot, and the playgrounds as a great source of recreation for my children.

Public spaces are significant and all-important to life in the city. They allow families and individuals to connect with each other to embrace places that improve our sense of wellbeing, while calming our senses, and relaxing our minds. 

Manhattan is a place with rivers on either side. Urban planners have come to realize the importance of these natural assets. Parks, green spaces, and piers with plantings have become the new vision for the city, and I am grateful for that. 

Much in the same way that nature connects us to our mother, the earth— my paintings connect me with my soul’s calling. We are intertwined like trees, like rivers, like oceans, and like the air we breathe. The entwinement expands outward in my heart, through my family of origin and my own family of procreation.

Three Sisters, Mixed Media by Donna Lewis

I am appreciating the perennial nature of mothering. It never stops. Unlike the retirement I am taking from school, my adult children and I continue to develop our inextricable bond. As I care for my aging mother, Leila (now 88) with my four sisters, I watch the changing seasons, the expanding experiences, and the cycle of life: being a child, having a child, and caring for others’ children, and mothers has enlightened my existence, and influenced my artistic practice.

‘The Trees’, featured here in this exhibit, are a window into all of these things and hopefully reflect the whimsy, terror, and acceptance of the changes that are all around us, all the time. We cannot separate ourselves from that which we are. So, I hope to continue to find the courage and fortitude for this next phase of the journey, and I hope to do it with creative gusto, a little more in balance, perhaps at a slightly more relaxed pace. 

We here at MOM are so grateful to have Donna as our newest resident artist and are so grateful for her fantastic contribution to M.O.M.’s archives as she gives us glimpses into her work, her creative process, and unique perspective. Also be sure to follow us on Instagram for updates as well as more of her thoughts on our residency while she stays this December! Happy Holidays Everyone!

Instagram: @museumofmotherhood

If you are interested in applying for a guest residency here at MOM, please go to our website HERE: https://bit.ly/3uRgugm  to find out more. BE SURE TO HURRY! Spots have been filling FAST! We hope that future tours of the space will be available soon, but they are by appointment only in Artist Enclave Historic Kenwood: “where art lives.”