Category: motherhood

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M.A.M.A. Issue 53 – Jessica Caldas

The Museum of Motherhood, ProCrete Project, the Mom Egg Review present M.A.M.A. Our collaboration celebrates the intersection of art and words. Wherever we live, work, and play, the art of motherhood is made manifest. #JoinMAMA  @ProcreateProj  @MuseumOfMotherhood @MERliterary

ART

BIO: Jessica Caldas is a Puerto Rican American, Florida and Georgia based, artist, advocate, and activist. She completed a residency at MoM onsite in 2022. Her work connects personal and community narratives to larger themes and social issues. Caldas has participated in numerous emerging artist residencies, including the Atlanta Printmakers Studio in 2011, MINT Gallery’s Leap Year Program from 2012-2013, The Creatives Project form 2018-2019, Vermont Studio Center in 2020, and was the Art on the Atlanta Beltline AIR in 2020-2021. Caldas was awarded The Center for Civic Innovations 2016 Creative Impact award, named Creative Loafing’s Best of ATL Artist for 2016 and 2015, received the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs Emerging Artist Award in Visual Arts for 2014, and was a finalist for the Forward Arts Foundation’s Emerging Artist Award in 2014. Her work has been featured at Burnaway, ArtsAtl, Creative Loafing Atlanta, Atlanta Magazine, Simply Buckhead, and more. Her work has been shown at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA and is included in the collections of Kilpatrick Townsend, The City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Kyoto International Community House.

In her advocacy work, Caldas has spent time lobbying for policy at the local level in Georgia and spent time with the YWCA Georgia Women’s Policy Institute at the 2016 general assembly to assure the passage of the Rape Kit Bill and in 2016 to stop HB 51 in 2017, a bill that would have harmed the safety of sexual assault survivors on college campuses.

Caldas received her Masters of Fine Arts degree at Georgia State University in 2019 and received her BFA in printmaking from the University of Georgia in 2012. She currently runs Good News Arts, a small community arts space and gallery in rural North Central Florida.

Jessica Caldas

Statement

My work is driven by personal experience and its connection to contemporary and historical issues. Overall, my work addresses the complexities and intricacies of care and identity in our current culture. I seek to make challenging experiences accessible to those without the same somatic knowledge while still engaging in conversation and confrontation. In my practice, I incorporate layered, labor intensive drawings, collage, sculpture, performance, et al, into fully realized mixed media works and immersive installations. Within my work, the viewer is met with bodily experiences that mirror the complexities of the stories I share, with a focus on shared knowledge, awareness, empathy, and change.

My recent work is mostly divided in two ways:
1. Focus on the daily lived experiences of women; their triumphs, their struggles, and everything in between in several bodies of work which reflects on the complicated spaces, both personal and public, that women inhabit and move through.
2. Exploration of the complexities of identity where family history, cultural and social influence, politicization, and personal desire are both at odds and overlapping. In this exploration identity becomes a fact-based excavation of personal history alongside a kind of fictional mythological world building.

My artistic process has become a slow one. Where once I worked quickly, and almost frantically, I have learned in the years since completing my graduate work  that a slower, more methodical approach serves me and my work much more completely than the ways I used to create. I spend an inordinate amount of time, months and sometimes longer, reading, writing, and researching ideas, stories, and concepts that inform the work I am creating. I probably spend more time thinking about the work I will make than actually producing it, because by the time I have gotten to the point of making, I have a lot of knowledge about where I am going and what I want from the work. This is not to say that I create without reacting to what is happening, because that is another important part of my practice. Much of my production is also organic and reactionary as well. I like the ability to respond to change, materials, problems, and other things that happen in the studio as they happen, rather than strictly adhering to a plan. I find that flexibility has produced far better work than rigidity ever does. It is more real and more realistic.

As for my journey, I am one of those fortunate people who have been creating my whole life. I was privileged enough to be surrounded by art from a young age, and to be surrounded by people who took art seriously and supported my desire to practice art professionally. So going to school for art was never an issue.

(Quote from the art journal: an online journal of art and cultural commentary. Link: https://www.theartsection.com/caldas)

WORDS

Dayna Patterson is the author of Titania in Yellow (Porkbelly Press, 2019) and If
Mother Braids a Waterfall (Signature Books, 2020). Her creative work has
appeared recently in Duende, EcoTheo, and Gulf Coast. She is the founding
editor-in-chief of Psaltery & Lyre and a co-editor of Dove Song: Heavenly Mother
in Mormon Poetry. She was a co-winner of the 2019 #DignityNotDetention Poetry
Prize judged by Ilya Kaminsky. daynapatterson.com

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Activism Featured Featured Artists Feminism Fl gender health History home International JourMS Literature MAMA Media MOM Art Annex MOM Conference MoM Pop Up motherhood Residency Social Justice Sociology Spiritual Motherhood

Joy Report: Team Art Shows, MoM Conference, and #Giving Tuesday

Hello Friends,

It’s sunny in Florida and a balmy 76 degrees and many of us are celebrating together in traditional ways. The Christmas tree is ready to be illuminated downtown, fake snow is in the air, and lights abound. Whether you are prepping the family menorah, or simply looking towards Festivus, may we be glad and of good will. May we lift up those suffering through hunger and war and let us show kindness to our neighbor and gentleness in our homes.

Let us create! Let us show our souls! Let us paint our dreams and mold images out of clay. Let us stitch together a herstory that weaves its way from the city of the arts, in the neighborhood of Kenwood, ‘where art lives’, all the way to you, wherever you may be.

This weekend, MoM team member Elena Rodz has a solo art show at Redbud Gallery 303 E. 11th St. Houston, TX 77008, Texas. The title of her show is, Dilly Dally. Dates: Dec 3 – Jan 1/ Reception: Dec 3, 6-9PM

Artist Statement: The show’s title “Dilly Dally” refers to the practice of enjoying life at a walking pace. Like many of my generation, I’m overwhelmed by the enormity of the Now — the biannual once-in-a-millennia events, the metropolitan cultural hubs we all rushed to after undergrad, the gauntlet from grade school to (maybe) retirement. A move to a small city in Texas in 2013 prompted a reconsideration at the pace I experienced life. I learned to look each moment in the face rather than over its shoulder.

This series of paintings challenges the viewer to suspend thought. The imagery and composition are superficial, and the response should be primal. I want the viewer to feel instinctually rather than put thought into deciphering the hidden meaning of the artwork. The purpose of the artwork is to pause and appreciate the slow moments and the overlooked beauty of the average. Although the scenes are all real places in Corpus Christi, TX, they recall anywhere once called home.

We applaud Elena and love her dearly for her creativity, spunk, and expertise. She greatly contributes to the MoM team and we are all better for knowing her. See more of Elena’s art which is available for purchase here.

We are excited for our Annual Conference this March 23-24 in St. Pete and on Zoom. THE DEADLINE to SUBMIT IS EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 10th. You only need to submit a 250 word abstract about an academic paper, art project, or other medium on the topic of Reproductive Landscapes: This conference call is for papers, performances, conversations, and art, focused on new gender identities and discourse. Here is the full CFP and submit via the JourMS website. Won’t you please join the conversation about this very important topic!

It’s #GivingTuesday! This year MAKE IT MoM and help us GROW!

We have DREAMS of a PLACE to call OUR own. A museum that ELEVATES, illuminates, DISSEMINATES, and complicates this wildly IMPORTANT identity, JOB, journey, and POSITION of care, CONCERN, birth, and LIFE- the WOMYN at the CENTER of creativity, PROCREATION, productivity, SORROW, hope, HELP, and JOY 💓– any DONATION amount MAKES a difference. We ARE the ART, science, and HERstory of M/others.

Any amount benefits our forward movement; $5, $10, $15, $25, $50, $100, $1,000. We have so much we are $5, $15, $10, $25, $100, $1,000 towards MEMBERSHIP, acquisitions, BUILDING CAMPAIGN.

We look forward to your energy, your care, your good vibes, and your financial support. THANK YOU!

DONATE

As November winds to a close and December rushes in, let us take time to reflect not only on the things we are grateful for, but the ways in which we can all heed the call to ‘do better’ in our lives, our relationships, and in the ways we work and move in the world.

Love, Love, Love,

Joy Rose, Director and Founder (Link to our December Newsletter)

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November News: Internships, Numbers, and Making M/otherhood Count!

Hello World – How are things going for everyone? As we roll from October into November, signaling the beginning of another holiday season, we want to share our inspiration, hope, and love to each of our friends near and far.

Our November Newsletter went out last week. If you are not getting our monthly updates, please DO sign up for our newsletter using one of the links here on our website:

The Annual Academic MoM Conference will take place in person and online in 2023. Call for papers is posted. This annual event is a collaborative effort with artists and academics to create experiences that are both educational and artistic in nature, contributing to the body of work that comprises a vast field of mother studies. CFP due by November 30th! Link to CFP.

The 7th Issues of the Journal of Mother Studies is now live and available to read. This journal is a peer-reviewed, international, interdisciplinary open-access, digital humanities hybrid project focused on Mother Studies, a field of study devoted to the issues, experiences, topics, history, and culture of m/others, mothering, and motherhood. Special thanks to our editor Nicole Musselman! Read more.

You’re invited to join the St. Petersburg Mothers’ Club, where everyone is welcome. If you crave connection, heartfelt conversation, and an opportunity to explore the nuances of m/otherhood while navigating your individual well-being, this is the place for you! Read more.

We welcomed another intern this fall. Гердт Мария has been diligently combing through some of our more advanced texts to facilitate a new round of MoM classes in the new year. We hope to synthesize her research with existing coursework in order to launch an easily accessible class in mother studies for all to see. She has been diligently translating portions of the book the Women Founders by  Patricia Madoo Lengermann, Gillian Niebrugge. Now more about Maria:

My name is Maria, I’m a second-year undergraduate student at Higher School of Economics in Moscow. I’m a sociology major and a pubic history minor. I’m passionate about women’s rights, female literature and art, especially representing relationships between mothers and daughters or sapphic relationships, but I generally find women’s studies and herstory an inspiring and fascinating academic field. I’ve written multiple student’s papers on the topic, published two articles, and always try to support feminist initiatives in my city and my country. I’m also curious about politics and political theory, love reading, watching movies, attending galleries. I’ve always found it frustrating how women’s voices get ignored or stolen and I’m grateful to MoM for an opportunity to discover and share the lives and ideas of great female sociologists.

Coming in January 2023…

MoM welcomes Laura Gabrielle from Portland, Oregon. Laura is a graduate student in museum studies. She enjoys attending music and art events, discovering new cafes, or spending time at home with books and films. She especially loves historical dramas with good costume design! Being in the Pacific Northwest, she appreciates living in close proximity to the coast, mountains, and rivers for outdoor activities. Her research project will be dedicated to the erased history of women’s input in sociology and social theory starting with 19th century. As a research assistant, Laura will help create content for a booklet that will be incorporated within a 4-week class at Museum of Motherhood.

That’s it for now. Have a busy and blessed November – We’ll see you soon!

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Blog Caregiving Education Events Featured health International Media motherhood Policy Residency Sociology Spiritual Motherhood

Hurricanes and the World Today

Many of us have been shocked by recent world developments in the environment, social climate, and in economics. This week’s hurricane was a brutal reminder of just how devastating and close to home natural disasters can be.

Fortunately, MoM made it out of the storm relatively unscathed, but we still have many concerns for our Florida neighbors as well as those in dire situations across the globe.

In times of great upheaval, in addition to reacting appropriately, many of us also take time to examine our lives, our decisions, and current directions. Should I stay? Should I go? What can I do to make a difference?

Right now, while many within a hundred miles will be digging out of debris, and as we conduct our own onsite cleanup, MoM will persevere with a mission of hosting conversations, gatherings, and forums on what is going right, and what is going wrong, on our planet today.

Our recent residency with sociology fellow Amanda Watson, has been postponed due to the effects of Ian, however we will still hold a roundtable focus group on Wednesday, October 5th 7:30-8:30PM EST, on “children in the face of climate change and reproductive inequity.”

Please join us in our online community Zoom. RSVPs are welcome. In the meantime, please do hold strong. MoM Loves You!

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Art Caregiving Digital Media Internships Featured Featured Artists gender health International Literature MOM Art Annex motherhood Residency

Pandemic Parenting Interview with Batnadiv Hakarmi, by Rachael Grad

RG: How did motherhood change your art?

BH: To my surprise, when I became a mother, my work became so much more collaborative. Before I had children, I worked alone in the studio on personal projects. I used the space whenever I wanted, including late at night.The idea of sharing did not work with my entire approach to art-making. The changes began during my first pregnancy, when I had to change mediums because I developed an allergy to turpentine. After my first child was born, I worked at home painting small works in watercolor on a desk. Later, I started working with other moms.

All my support came from other mothers. I was lucky enough to be part of the group “A Studio of Her Own” which included a lot of other young moms with kids. A few of us got together to rent collaborative studio space that was child-friendly, and people used it at different times.  We did a series of site-specific projects together, working on big murals and projects in historic buildings and public spaces.  I love working big and not having to clean up a studio space. My friend Julia Aronson and I did a series of collaborative murals. We discussed the idea, then alternated painting days  with each other, in a kind of visual game of Exquisite Corpse. We had to let go of control and let someone else in. We kept a blog about our last project [Link below].

At home my kids get into my art materials, so I got them their own sketchbooks and supplies. They still always want mine though. 

RG: Were the changes in motherhood a surprise?

BH: I knew something was going to change but didn’t know how. I foresaw needing to work smaller. The opening of working collaboratively with other mothers was a good surprise.

RG: How do you fit in studio time with kids?

BH: My three children are now in kindergarten, pre-school, and daycare, respectively. Until each baby was a year old, I hired a babysitter once a week so I could have painting time, and I attended a late-night sculpture group. During the pandemic, for a year I didn’t have childcare so couldn’t do any art, except what I called my ‘stolen sketch time’. Before then, I found ways to paint or draw daily.

RG: Was there a big shift going from one child to 2?

BH: Yes. Two is more complicated because there’s a toddler to run after. I am always outnumbered. But for me the biggest shift was going from 0 to one child. The actual transition into motherhood has been transformative.

RG: What books, groups, web resources do you recommend?

BH: I find that working with other mothers is the most helpful way to navigate creativity amidst the chaos of motherhood. I am part of a wonderful poetry group called Mama Poets Write who used to meet once every two weeks for a night of writing. For art practice, I have artist friends who I would meet regularly. I worked with Julia Aronson on the mural projects and I participate in a regular sculpture group of women of different ages. I found my tribe and painting friends after having kids.

RG: Is there anything you would change or do differently?

BH: I was teaching before the pandemic in 3 different places. During the pandemic, it was a real struggle to teach on zoom with kids at home. I didn’t go back to teaching until after lockdown was over because it was too difficult to get childcare. I used to teach art at Brandeis University in the summer and I really miss it. I found there isn’t that much flexibility in teaching so between lockdowns and quarantines, I transitioned to giving workshops and doing freelance editing. The work does take away from my art practice – it’s a constant juggle to make time and space.  

RG: What’s your biggest struggle?

BH: A big struggle- quoting Virginia Woolf and her ‘Room of One’s Own’ – is a prescient issue. The lack of space for a mother-artist is huge. I need a space for myself to maintain my art practice. Yet, now even my bedroom is not my own. When you are pregnant, even your own body is not your own. I was never alone during the pandemic and I would like to find another collaborative space. Our original space was located in Beit Alliance, a subsidized cultural center. We had an amazing synergy and did some exceptional projects. But, as mothers of young children, we were not typical artists. We look or behave like people assume artists do. We didn’t attend late night events. We set up alternate events which were well attended, but our landlords did not renew our lease. I do think there is some discrimination against mother-artists and caretakers. I’m currently working in Ha Mifal where my sculpture group has a residency and exhibition. I am sure new things will arise as the future unfolds.

Blog Project with Julia and Batnadiv is here.

Full exhibit with Batnadiv at MoM is here [LINK]

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Art Blog Caregiving Featured Featured Artists motherhood Residency st petersburg

Remote Artist Residency with Rachael Grad: This August at MoM

Rachael Grad is a mom of three and former lawyer who has studied and worked in the US, France, Italy, Hong Kong, and Toronto. Grad left practicing law to study painting full-time at the New York Studio School and New York University (NYU) before transferring to OCAD University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Trained as an observational painter, Grad has focused on colourful painting that blurs the distinction between abstract, figurative, and representational styles.

Recently her art practice has expanded to incorporate digital painting and collage to further recreate her observational drawing and painting. Grad combines her experience as a mother, former lawyer, and traveler into her artwork, creating art that reflects parenting moments. Her current art series include “Motherhood Hit Me Like A Train” works on paper that use trains as paintbrushes and “Mommy Mayhem” digital collages and abstract expressionist paintings.

Grad’s artwork has been shown in solo and group shows in Washington, DC, New York City, Venice, Italy, and the Toronto area. She holds degrees from Brandeis University, Duke University School of Law, and Sciences Po in Paris, France. She earned a BFA with Distinction in Painting and Drawing from OCAD University in May 2022 as the Governor General Academic Medal and Mrs. W.O. Forsyth winner. This fall Grad will start a Master’s in Fine Arts program at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Mayhem Bunny
Elephant and Doll

Artist Statement

Motherhood is mayhem. When I became a parent, carving out time and space to create (not just people but artwork) became essential.

My current art practice is driven by an obsessive-compulsive need to document my three kids and their perpetually changing debris (meaning their messes of toys, books, clothing, and crafts). Daily household and art routines, rituals, and schedules reflect my attempt to reign in the chaos of parenting. Numbers, habits, and repetition are crucial to my sanity and survival.

There are 52 weekends in each year when my children’s school, daycare, or summer camp are closed for 65 agonizing hours in a row. To symbolize the slow passing of parenting time, I created 52 digital collages each containing 65 artworks layered together in photoshop. The artwork layers include my postcard drawings, abstract colour paintings, and paint mark experiments with toys.

Recent Mommy Mayhem series paintings are loosely based on these collages and blur the distinction between representation and abstraction. Gestural paint marks use the bright colours found in toys and messes.

In my Motherhood Hit Me Like a Train series, rolling a toy train across my artwork as a not-so subtle metaphor for being a mother artist. Toys have overtaken my home and my artwork, and they are always in mind and in my way. For my abstract watercolour on paper artworks, I reverse the ubiquitous toy train and turn it into a paintbrush.

Repetitive marks starting from observation are a way of building up unclear layers to form abstraction. Loosely based on the digital collages, I paint colourful abstract portraits of stuffed animals and toys that serve as transitional comfort objects for children as they grow and learn independence from parents.

My painting subjects reflect moments of motherhood, and my painting technique is a reference to, and mocking of, art history movements such as the machismo of the Abstract Expressionist painters. I am conceiving a visual language informed by abstract expressionism, playful mark making, and the contradiction between my dream of control and order versus my reality of constant pandemonium and mess at home. Routines, patterns, and symbolic numbers are expression in my art.

I research contemporary parent artists and their artwork including Mary Kelly (Post-Partum Document. 1973-79), Monica Bock (Maternal Exposure (or, don’t forget the lunches), 1999-2000), and Paul Campbell (Koosh Series and Remote Control Series). When painting, I think of Denyse Thomasos’ powerful gestural marks, Susanna Heller’s experimental studio practice, and Amy Silliman’s abstraction.

Museum of Motherhood Artist Residency Project

During her MOM Residency, Rachael will curate an online art exhibition of artwork made by artist mothers who manage to create artwork and keep up their studio practice while parenting. The show will include weekly blog posts interviewing participating artists to explore their work and parent experiences. During the period of her artist residency at MOM, Rachael will attempt to create a drawing or painting each day related to her “Mommy Mayhem” or “Motherhood Hit Me Like a Train” series.

You can view more of Rachael’s artwork at RachaelGradArt.com

If you are interested in connecting with Rachael, you can find her on social media @RachaelGradArt

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Art Blog Featured Featured Artists Feminism MOM Art Annex motherhood Residency

MoM Welcomes Guest Artist Tara Blackwell

We are excited to announce our newest Guest Artist, Tara Blackwell. Tara is a mixed media pop artist leveraging the tension between fun and social commentary in her artwork.

Continue reading to find out more about Tara and her journey.

I am a mixed media pop artist living and working in Connecticut. In my work, I play with bold colors, layers, and texture, often incorporating nostalgic pop culture to explore contemporary social issues. At a glance, my paintings depict a childlike innocence, but there is usually underlying social commentary. While I have fun exploring imagery from my childhood, at the same time, I am delving into insecurities that go way back to being an awkward girl in middle school – that “picked last in gym class” feeling. My “Saturday Morning” series is all about resiliency and perseverance. Remember digging in the cereal box as a kid to find that prize? These little characters are symbolically shown in positions of independence, strength, and success. The process of creating this work has personally helped me to conjure up my own inner strength and to envision my “prize” within my reach.

In the Summer of 2020, like many of us, my daughter (Lila) and I spent a lot of time together indoors due to the pandemic. Lila was 12 and in her first year of middle school at a new school and navigating the typical challenges that I remember all too well from that age. But the isolation and fear of getting sick was an unexpected turn. Then—we saw the horrific murder of George Floyd; Another brutal killing (at the hands of the police) of a human being who looks like us. Black Lives Matter protests erupted stronger and louder than ever and living downtown in a major city, we could just step outside and be part of the movement. Together, Lila and I began to pour our feelings into our art.

I was still working on my Saturday Morning series when Lila suggested the use of Powerpuff Girls, a cartoon linked to her generation, not mine. I had been focusing on my own childhood memories in this work, but when I started exploring Lila’s suggested reference, my focus shifted to her experience at that moment. As a mother, I not only thought about how I could protect her but how could I help her to discover her own voice and inner strength. My Saturday Morning series shifted direction and I tapped into my fierceness as a mother– as a Black mother of a Black girl. The Powerpuff Girl painting became the piece titled “Justice Now.” I consider that piece to be the beginning of a powerful collaboration between me and Lila.

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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AEHK Events Featured health History JourMS MOM Art Annex motherhood Spiritual Motherhood

Grow Mama Grow

There is always plenty to do around this house! At MoM, we continue to be actively reviewing multiple infrastructure definitions, fundraising initiatives, and plans for growth. In the meantime, creating compelling content and opportunities to connect virtually and in-person are essential.

JOIN US (Wed) JUNE 22 6:30-8PM EST for a community talk and discussion on Zoom at our *NEW COMMUNITY. We invite you to pre-register for this FREE workshop. RSVP on the community site with Dr. Roksana Badruddoja.

DR. ROKSANA BADRUDDOJA WORKSHOP EVENT ON OUR COMMUNITY NETWORK: Reproductive trauma-from loss of children to obstetric violence-has an epigenetic impact. In her upcoming MOM Community talk on June 22, 2022, at 7 p.m. EST, Roksana Badruddoja will discuss how trauma changes our gene 🧬 expression/informs how we show up in the world and how we can recover ourselves. Available on our *NEW COMMUNITY SITE. Register now for FREE opportunities to collaborate, communicate, and present. We look forward to connecting over the miles. RSVP.

OUR MULTIPLE INITIATIVES AND WORKS IN PROGRESS:

MEMBERSHIPS: Finally! Memberships have arrived (although they have not launched yet, we should have this functional opportunity ready to launch within the next few days). We are so pleased to announce this new addition to our museum initiative. Now we can better build together. Whether it’s a private tour you’re looking for, access to our conference, newsletter, community or legacy membership – you asked – we’ve got it covered. Please prepare yourselves to sign up for a membership and help us grow, grow, grow. Pick the annual membership that’s right for you by clicking here.

DEFINITIONS: Womyn, m/others, reproductive identities, the Journal of Mother Studies and more. How do we create conversation on these ideas and identities? First, let us begin by understanding from a broad perspective what we are attempting to dialogue about. We will continue examining these topics throughout the 2022-23 year. Read more here.

BECOME AN ALLY: Sign our new ally letter as we build MOMentum in St. Petersburg for the Museum and Motherhood. After meetings with our local council-persons we have learned that on the ground advocacy can result in impact. Our goal is to share your support with our local officials for increased funding. Thank YOU! Sign our petition here.

GUIDESTAR: Our non-profit profile is up at one of the premium portals for fundraising initiatives. While we still gotta get some numbers posted, we aim to do that over the next few months. The more we raise, the more we can brag! Read more here.

Lastly, shout out to a friend: MAKE ART/ NOT SAD panel discussion that is taking place this Sunday 19th June in England. Register for free at following the eventbrite link and find out more.

Yours in Peace, Love, and M/otherhood –

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Letter From the Founder: Joy Report & Welcome Emma

I could begin this report so many ways, but let me start by sharing a recent full-circle experience.

Last month, I received an internship application through our online portal. The inquiry came from the daughter of the woman who used to manage the MOM website as well as the MaMaPalOOza website in early 2000. So, this intern applicant turned out to be Emma Andrews, and her mother, Amy Andrews, brought her daughter to our New York location when she was only about ten years old.

This totally rocked my world. So, let me please share Emma’s bio with you now and welcome her to her summer internship with MOM. Full circle:

Emma Andrews (they/she) is entering their junior year at Binghamton University. She is a history major and mathematical sciences minor. She is pursuing a career as a public programmer in museums, but wouldn’t be unhappy teaching calculus either! They prefer to focus on all areas of history, rather than hone in on one speciality. In her free time, Emma loves to read in their hammock and is a bit of a movie buff (although with admittedly terrible taste in films). They are particularly passionate about queer studies and are looking forward to integrating that passion into their culminating project during her internship at the Museum of Motherhood.

Emma will be working this summer creating a series of resources regarding queerness in families. There will be resources created for both parents and children, in hopes of promoting and fostering more productive and respectful conversations about the queer community. The children’s presentation will feature child friendly language and concepts to help educate children on different family types and identities. Her internship portion aimed at parents will feature many of the same definitions as the children’s presentation but expanded, as well as “how to’s” regarding having respectful conversations with their own children about queer topics, such as identity, pronouns, and the potential for their own future families. Additionally, they will be putting together a short research project for those interested in the history of queer studies. Their research will be a guide through the evolution of the queer identity, with an emphasis on modern changes within these ideas, particularly through a legislative lens.

During their time at MOM, Emma hopes their project will provide help to those in need of queer resources and education, especially in states affected by anti-gay legislation. She wants these resources to be available for anyone of any age or role, and available in any location at all times. If the government or schools cannot provide the education necessary to reflect a diverse community, they want their resources to do that job.

Emma Andrews

Now for Extensive Updates! Read on:

There’s been a lot of activity at MOM over the last several months. I thought it might be good to connect everyone and keep you all updated.

Please join me in welcoming several new team members.

Deborah Gelch, a senior executive with a wealth of experience in non-profits, administration, and fundraising has joined us as our new “Strategic Advisor”. She brings with her knowledge of Salesforce, specific technological advances in CRM management, and a windfall of support including fundraising initiatives. We have been meeting weekly over the last several months and she has already imported a host of information into our database. Together, we are aiming for an October 1 fun-raiser in St. Petersburg.

Welcome too, our new website developer, Elena Rodz, who will be working on WordPress updates, our online store, and memberships moving forward. She is currently updating the MOM Team page. Please, do look for updates soon.

Kasia Nowacki joined MOM this year in the capacity of ‘Educational Liaison and Development’. To that end, she has been strategically working on multiple avenues of MOM growth internally and in collaboration with other institutions. She also facilitates tech at our monthly online events, happening the 22nd of each month.

Donna Lewis, architect, artist, and native New Yorker has joined our Executive Fundraising Board. This is hugely exciting as our goals for this active committee are top of mind and imperative for new growth. We hope to have others join Donna on this important new endeavor.

Since fall 2021, we have welcomed three onsite Residencies in October, December, and April. The summer will welcome two additional Artist Residents, and two more in the fall of 2022, plus the three last summer for a total of ten, even in the midst of COVID!

We also welcome four new interns, and another USF graduate student starting in the fall. Our summer interns are: Emma Andrews, Sarah Akomoh, Teddy Friedline, and Mary Noah. A hearty welcome to each! They will all be working on a variety of initiatives including grant writing, teaching tools, journal publication, and social media.

MOM participated in the AEHK Studio Tour in St. Pete featuring a newly built vestibule for seeing exhibits from the front entrance. As an artist, I was able to enjoy two artist-grants (one for public art in Seminole Park and one for editorial help with some of my current writing).

I filed for ‘fictitious name‘ status for MOM (DBA Museum of Motherhood) under our IRS registered 501c3 non-profit MOM Art Annex in Florida. I am also segwaying out of the Motherhood Foundation in NY, as it is redundant to maintain both. 

For the purposes of clarity: the MOM Art Annex is currently serving as our incubator of the realization of our own fully functioning, free standing museum structure. Renderings for this vision are online.

Our new ‘Educational Development” Coordinator, Kasia Nowacki and I worked for several months updating the language on the MOM website as well as our internal documents to reflect changing attitudes along with more inclusive language. Our newest intern, Teddy Friedline continues this enterprise at the JourMS website. We are grateful for these efforts.

Kasia and I also made repeated attempts to pioneer projects with Eckerd College. We also reached out to the Museum Studies Department at UF, and began research on USF degrees locally in St. Pete that might coordinate well with MOM’s ongoing activities. I attended the Eckerd College Job Fair for summer internships and we have a few ideas for bringing collaborations to the fore in the fall.

Our annual MOM Conference was a beautiful and smart gathering over Zoom this year. The theme was Creativity for a Cause and the inspiration flowed from a work-in-progress-film on miscarriage to several thematic works on home-site productions during COVID from artists and academics. Thanks to the entire Academic Board for their involvement in this!

We started a *NEW ONLINE COMMUNITY – This is a place to connect and interact. This is where we will host our annual conferences for those who want to attend remotely. This is also where we host ongoing monthly events the 22nd of each month 7-8:30PM EST (Roksana Badruddoja will be with us in June conducting an intergenerational healing workshop), and this is also where we will be building out some of our coursework.

During the month of May, Mary Noah, who is with us for the summer, and comes with some non-profit experience, worked on a rebranding kit for MOM along with a Social Media Calendar. She will pivot to new activities in the coming months.

Our new Living Board 2022 is active too, as we wave Lexy Valdes (who began her journey with us as an intern and stayed for THREE years), on her way and wish her the best with her medical school studies. Our newest Living Board members are: Zabrina Shkurti– President, Nicole Musselman– Editor JourMS, and Tracy Sidesinger who returns as our Residency Director.

Finally, I just received word about leading a workshop on New Technologies at the annual FAM (Florida Association of Museums) Conference in September. I think this will spur me on to do more research on tools available to us for online reach. I’m excited to bring updates regarding MOM to this event. The conference takes place in Miami this year and includes hundreds of museum professionals from the state of Florida.

So, what’s the action item here? Big goals here are keeping you updated, letting you witness the progress for yourselves, and bringing team members together in the spirit of MOM. 

*IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO YOU THINK MIGHT LIKE TO JOIN US: one of our boards, our new MEMBERSHIP community, pt staff, or MOM development, PLEASE DO SEND THEM OUR WAY: INFO@MOMmuseum.org

With Huge Warmth,

JOY!

Categories
Blog Featured Internships JourMS Literature motherhood USF

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)