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!
We are excited to announce our newest Guest Artist in Residence, Amanda Watson! To gain more insight into who Amanda is as a mother-scholar and to better understand her goals here during her residency, Amanda shared the following:
Headshot of Amanda Watson
Q: What do you hope to accomplish during your residency?
A: For the past few years of pandemic-era mothering, my research and writing have been conducted sporadically, in piecemeal ways, and in stressful conditions. I hope to make space for my research and writing in this residency in order to analyze new data with fresh eyes and write about it with renewed vision for my purpose as a writer, scholar, and mother.
Q: What led you to MoM and the residency program here?
A: I shared research on motherhood at the MoM in Manhattan nearly a decade ago as a graduate student before becoming a parent myself. The cozy space and warm interactions with community members and diverse scholars and practitioners made an impression on me I have always been interested in returning to MoM. On a recent visit to New York City, I found out about the residency in Florida and applied immediately. It seems like the perfect offering for artists and academics who need to make space for their creative ideas and practices to flourish, particularly as mothers coming out of pandemic isolation having spent so much time doing caregiving.
Continue reading to find out more about Amanda.
Dr. Amanda Watson’s research explores how caregivers and community activists navigate complex institutional settings in their efforts to effect social change. Her interests include care, labour, disability, media representation of motherhood. She teaches on politics of family, global problems and the culture of capitalism, and power and conflict in Canadian society. Watson is an Associate Member of the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. She serves on the editorial board of Gender & Society.
Current projects include Politics of Birthstrike, exploring how young adults reconcile their desires for ethical family life with resurging population control initiatives to reduce their climate footprint by having fewer children; Imagine Kin Project, investigating how young adults talk about their future relations in the context of interlocking crises; and Politics of Social Justice Parenting, new research exploring the experiences of parents of young children through pandemic closures and trends in parenting.
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.”
