THE MOTHER TREE IS COMING
INSTALLATION BY HELEN HIEBERT / SEPTEMBER 2021
Helen Hiebert’s Mother Tree sculpture is a seven-foot-tall handmade paper dress/tree that features single strands of thread that extend from the bodice of the dress, representing mother’s milk, and cascade to the floor, transforming via crochet into roots which pile up, filling the surrounding space as a tree’s roots would fill the ground beneath it. The transformation from dress to tree and root to soil symbolizes the mother as a provider and nurturer throughout human development. Mother Tree is a community project which debuted in February 2010 at the Portland Building installation space in Portland, Oregon. Hundreds of people viewed the project as they passed by it on their way to work; over two hundred sent crocheted roots which attached to the tree; and another hundred crocheters, feminists, fathers, mothers, grandmothers, engineers, children, and artists joined me in the space to crochet roots on site. Since then, Mother Tree has traveled to venues around the U.S.
WHO: The Museum of Motherhood elucidates the art, science, and history of women, mothers, and families. We do this to highlight the profound value of caregiving labor and to disseminate the experiences of the multicultural family through exhibitions, education, and community engagement.
WHAT: The Museum’s activities are organized through the MOM Art Annex Inc. a certified NY 501c3 non-profit with the goal of seeing to the permanent establishment of a world-class International Museum.
WHERE: From September 2021 through June 2022, the MOM PoP Up aims to leverage focused momentum f WHY:
- Build community engagement
- Launch fundraising activities
- Leverage commitments from individuals to form an executive fundraising board