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Art Featured History The Factory, St Pete

MoM’s Healing Garden – Finding Your Path To Wellness

Before we round the corner into February, we want to share some upcoming opportunities that we think are worthwhile reflections of a ‘new year – new you journey’ with MoM. Many of us charge out of the gate with the best of intentions post-holiday as we turn the calendar on another year. Each of us carries some degree of hurt, loss, pain, or trauma. We already know this. Studies also show that arts, culture and community are great ways to feel more integrated, connected, and educated about our purpose and place in the world. MoM is so pleased to support the work of some of our friends, facilitators and collaborators for this ongoing holistic journey to serenity, connection and even happiness.

Black History Month

We celebrate Black History (and HerStory) Month at MoM with our exhibit featuring Sojourner Truth, activist, suffragette, mother and preacher. We are continually inspired by her example of calling out gender and racial inequity. We stand by her memory and share her story at our space in The Factory in St. Pete beginning with the First Wave of Feminism circa 1850. We also celebrate our local Carter Woodson African American Museum here locally. Carter G. Woodson was a scholar and historian who dreamed of an entire month devoted to Black History, just as we, at MoM dream of an entire field of study, museum, and month of scholarship, art, and education devoted to mothers each May across the USA.

Well-Being Is (Mostly) An Inside Job

Visit MoM’s Healing Garden growing onsite at The Factory. We didn’t know we needed this, but we do! Part of our mission at MoM is to ‘start great conversations’. Over the course of the last four months we’ve been astounded at the humans in need of a deeper connection as they process issues around loss, grief, stress, and isolation. Inspired by our neighbor @Gio’s_Typos and his garden at The Factory we’ve decided to carry the mantle of floral expression to new heights as we build out our in-person experience with prompts, poetry and stress -relievers. Bring a flower, take a prompts, enjoy the serene and intentional setting and visit soon. We’ll be waiting for you! Regular hours are 12-6 Wed – Saturday, Second Saturday Art Walk (Second Saturday each month) 6-9PM, Indie Flea (First Sunday of each month) 12-3PM. Call ahead to book your tour and make sure our volunteers are on site. 877-877-MOMS (6667). Leave a message and we’ll call you back.

Break Free from Anxiety & Love Yourself Unconditionally 

A Very Special Women’s Retreat Feb 9-14. 5-days $299 or just the weekend $149 – plus accommodations (meals included). Rooms with private bathrooms are selling out. Finally release layers of emotional pain and reconnect with calmness, clarity, and happiness. Experience on-the-spot anxiety relief plus music, movement, and meditation to reawaken joy. 

LEARN MORE: 

https://www.stressisgone.com/retreats#nextretreat

The Stress Is Gone Method is a transformational healing modality facilitated by Author & Stress Expert, Brett Cotter. He is a clairaudient empath that guides you to reopen your heart as you feel self-love melt down emotional pain in your body and inside old memories. Brett has 25-years experience helping people recover from the most traumatic events of their lives. 

“As a clinician, it was impressive feeling my own stress lift out of my body. I’ve encouraged several family members to call for coaching!” Gerri DeBenedetto, Mother, LCSW

”It was a life-changing experience. Brett creates a safe space to open up and has an innate ability to get to the core issues. You feel tension leave your body.” Sarah StanczewskI, Working Mom, NY
Immerse yourself in a safe place for deep, lasting emotional healing. 

“I never expected in the first 5 minutes he’d be able to identify the source of my trauma, and give me the words to release it and move on.” Deidre Auchmoody, NY

[POSTPONED DUE TO ILLNESS] 33 Days of Transformation In-Person & Online Development Workshop

Sierra M. Clark, MoM Empowerment Facilitator invites you to join her onsite at the Museum of Motherhood each Tuesday at 6PM beginning Feb. 6th (or online) for FOUR WEEKS – 33 days – of personal and professional empowerment. Each week focuses on specific aspects of the empowerment journey, allowing participants to delve deeper into their strengths, obstacles, and break-through to new awareness and behaviors that will benefit every area of their lives. Sierra uses custom built tools which she shares with you as part of this workshop for your ongoing success. These tools can also be used for a self-paced experience which Sierra will guide you through. Register now for this insightful, personal, and empowering experience! 

MoM Announcements


“Womb Project”
By MADISON HENDRY
Time-Based Sculpture and Documentation
Sculpture: Pink Yarn, Crochet Hook
Prints: Color Print on Foam Core
May 2013 – January 2014.

This 9 month long documentation explores the physical changes artist, Madison Hendry experienced throughout her first pregnancy. By crocheting around herself during this period, she creates a “womb-like” soft sculpture, which protects and comforts her, just as her womb protects and comforts her growing baby. Madison utilizes the repetitive and meditative process of crocheting to reflect on her pregnancy. As her baby continues to grow and begins to manipulate her body, it is apparent that the sculpture is doing the same. The more the baby grows, the more difficult it becomes for the artist to continue creating her work. However, it is inevitable that she continues. This is catharsis. At last, when the sculpture is complete, it is then deconstructed by the artist to reveal the greatest work of art; her baby. The “Womb Project” is currently on display at MoM.

Please Welcome Our New Board of Directors 2024

Courtney Kessel, President, is a mother, artist, academic, and arts administrator living and working in Athens, Ohio. She is currently the Assistant Director for Experiential Design at Ohio University and a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Arts. Courtney is one of the pioneers of the mother-made art movement.

Kayley Robsham – Secretary, is professional life coaching and Neuro-Linguistic Programming trainer, advanced Certified Life & Business Coach working with entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, healers, and visionaries to grow their business by helping them heal their subconscious mind and body. 

Deanna Barcelona, Treasurer, (aka Dr. B) is a proud St. Petersburg local mama to two teenagers. Her Ph.D. is in Higher Education Administration with a cognate in Anthropology which she studied for both her undergraduate degree and Master of Arts. She currently works as a home loan specialist transferring her strengths and skills as an educator into the world of helping people build wealth through homeownership.

Atlas Obscura January 11, 2024– Thank you for adding us to your collection of newsworthy organizations. Atlas Obscura has a mission to inspire wonder and curiosity about the incredible world we all share. MoM is part of 28,202 unique places shared by this resource. [LINK] for their recent coverage of MoM – because, ya know, m/otherhood is so obscure!

CFP: Incarcerated (M)others Publisher: DEMETER PRESS / Editors: Olga Marques & Michelle Hughes Miller. Writers, artists, academics, activists, and all those who work in and/or study or explore (m)otherhood within the context of incarceration are invited to propose a chapter for this interdisciplinary anthology centered within the criminalized, regulated, resisted, and lived experiences of (m)others who are or have been incarcerated and/or are or have been under state supervision. When we use the term (m)others, we refer to anyone who self-identifies as a mother or parent who has or is engaging in motherwork. We use the term incarceration to reference state governance over the lives of individuals within the state’s regulatory authority. CFP PDF Download

We continue to promote, thank, and celebrate the work of WEDU PBS who did an extraordinary job capturing the journey of founder Martha Joy Rose music career to motherhood through illness to the creation of the Museum of Motherhood in St. Petersburg, Florida. From inception in 2003 in New York to actualization, the aim of MoM is to reach humans everywhere with a message of inspiration, education, and compassion. The video is on rotation locally in throughout the Tampa Bay/ Sarasota area and is also available for viewing on YouTube. Here’s the LINK.

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Birth Blog breastfeeding Caregiving Education Fl gender health History International Medical MOM Art Annex MOM Conference motherhood Spiritual Motherhood

The Mother Tree Acquisition, Goddess Summary & Closing the Bones

MoM has acquired the Mother Tree for our permanent collection! Thanks to each of you who donated through our GoFundMe, our website, or by private contribution. Thanks too, artist Helen Hiebert, artist and creator for trusting us and for additional support. Thanks to all of you we have succeeded in achieving this wonderful milestone.

This purchase represents the culmination of two years of fundraising for our permanent collection and we couldn’t be more pleased to share this success with each of you. If you have been fortunate to have seen the Mother Tree at the MoM Art Annex or one of her other previous exhibitions spaces, lit up and beaming, then you join an exclusive group who have indeed been fortunate. Moving forward we look forward to future large scale exhibition spaces where we can share her for public display.

May has been an incredible month for forging new connections, completing projects, and travel. For those of you who have been keeping up with travel blog reports from founding director, Martha Joy Rose, travels to the Goddess temples of Malta have been transformational indeed. You can read more about the Goddess’s of Malta at our founder’s blog.

Throughout June, July, and August, operations will continue at the MoM Art Annex though outreach activities are paused. Our team will be busy strategizing a year’s worth of exhibits for our 2023-24 season which commences in September. During the summer, internships, grant writing, renovations, and curatorial activities will be in full swing.

Finally, we want to share news from our recent experience at the Modern Herbal Apothecary in Tampa for a ‘Closing the Bones Ceremony’. Lyani Powers, doula and owner of MHA presented at this year’s annual academic MoM Conference on ‘Maternal Landscapes’. This ritualistic ceremony can be traced to South America, Africa, and Asia, yet here in American this ritual is not common. Founder Joy Rose was graciously invited to Lyani’s studio post-conference.

During the conference, Lyani shared that she performed ‘Closing the Bones’ on her mother-in-law so it seemed the ceremony could work on new mothers as well as older mothers. Here at MoM we recognize the ways in which many women continue symbolically, and in real life, remain attached to grief, trauma, and even may stay stuck emotionally or become over-involved in their adult children’s lives. Could this be a way to honor those sacred bonds while allowing space for closure and release? We were hoping so.

Nestled into a residential neighborhood Lyani’s gorgeous space is stocked with teas, herbs, and scents that are both delicious and healing. The ceremony itself involved sage, touch, a holding of the body and swaying gently while being gently cradled. This was followed by a tight body- wrapping, a rest, and it concluded with a ceremonial tea and washing of the feet. There were low mutterings, incantations, and prayers for releasing old patterns and welcoming new energy and new ways of being.

This was all a marvelous closure to our founder’s extended trip to visit the Goddess Temples of Malta. The divine feminine has been with us and the world for at least five-thousand years BC. How do those threads get lost? How do the rituals that sustain us disappear? We must weave our way back in time together to activate the symbolic strength of women as respected and glorious members of society.

The Museum of Motherhood’s first online exhibition was in 2010. The launch featured a Sacred Feminine exhibit created Polly Wood online. Now, thirteen years later in 2023, Batya Weinbaum began work on the Goddess mural at the MOM Art Annex for her ‘Artist in Residency’ project. There is a lot of herstory in this world to be mapped – indeed, there is a link to all our shared legacies and experiences. We encourage you to do some research on ‘Closing of the Bones’ rituals. There is much to learn and much to celebrate if we can stay strong in our bonds to each other and continue to find ways to collaborate. Find our more at ModernHerbalApothocary.com or search ceremonies online. And, please, whatever you do, make sure to stay strong. You are beautiful!

  • Modern Herbal Apothecary
  • Herbal Tea Time
  • Delicious
  • The wrapping prep
  • Sage and Conversation
  • Lyani Leads
  • The Bone Closing Ceremony
  • Lyani Powers, Doula and Owner MHA
  • Flower Foot Bath
  • Mushroom Walls

The Closing of the Bones Ceremony brought a SONG to mind and is summed up well here:

I can’t really explain it
I haven’t got the words
It’s a feeling that you can’t control
I suppose its like forgetting
Losing who you are
And at the same time
Something makes you whole
Its like that there’s a music
Playing in your ear
And I’m listening, and I’m listening
And then I disappear (Lyrics from the song Electric- Billy Elliot, the musical )

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Featured

MoM Goes Abroad – Message From the Founder

LONDON ENGLAND – I attended the Procreate Project’s Oxytocin Conference, organized by Dyana Gravina, and team, mid-May for two days of intensely powerful commissioned art, scholarship, and workshop work at Kings College. Scholar, poet, and accelerator Hannah Brockbank and I were scheduled to lead a workshop together.

Inspired by the work of Sierra Clark, the workshop was titled “Repair Work, from Sweet Nothings to Sweet Everything,” the title of her chapter in Repairing the Black Family Anthology, edited by Sister Nayyirah Muhammad. The aim of the workshop was to disrupt narratives in order to facilitate healing, which was indeed the goal of the entire conference.

The power of stories shared and the work we did together to dialogue about contemporary issues facing mothers and the women who labor through this important work could not be denied. Laura Godfrey Issacs shared information about the Birth Cafe (see more at http://www.birth are.org), PhD candidate Anna Horn’s interactive workshop on ‘Inclusive Infant Feeding’ compelled.

The conference itself was funded by the Public Arts Council of England amount others. The Procreate Project, Museum of Motherhood, and MER: The Mom Egg Review have been working together since 2015 to feature the art and literature of m/others. I am looking forward to bringing new knowledge(s) back to Florida when I return. But first, the second portion of my trip takes me on a three hour flight to the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea.

Scenes from Oxytocin, London England

XEMXIJA, MALTA with its windswept bay, Mellieha with views that stretch past the isle of Goza, Mostar, with its magnificent dome, Mdina the silent city, and Rabat. Hot, dusty, and international. Roses, cactus, olive trees and lemons. In Malta, we go to see the Goddess temples Hagar Qim and Mnajdra. These two temples comprise one of the three UNESCO Heritage sites on Malta, but together there are seven megalithic temples. So, of the three sites heritage sites, one represents all of the temples combined, plus the city of Valletta, and the Hypogeum. Additionally, located at the island of Gozo are the temples rumored to built by the giants.

These Megalithic temples comprise some of the oldest free-standing structures on earth. Older than the pyramids, they are thought to be Goddess Temples for both fertility and transformation as part of a prehistoric culture that appears to be centered around women and the three spheres, heaven, earth, and the underworld as embodied through the pot, house, temple and tomb. We catch the bus and hold tight swerving up narrow inclines twisting and turning above the sea.

When we get to the temple, I am quivering with excitement. We buy tickets, walk through the small but impactful museum, and head outdoors along a windswept path towards the structure which overlooks the Mediterranean. The breeze is slight. Hagar Qim is crowned with a giant white canvas to lessen the impact of the elements. As one approaches her entrance, the tent fades away and all focus turns to the massive rocks shaping what appears to be her portal beyond the giant curved walls. According to Cultural Anthropologist Veronica Veen, we enter the Goddess’ body through her vagina (Pg. 8 The Goddess of Malta).

Goddesses of Malta

There is so much to write about here. Both portions of my trip have offered so much in terms of knowledge, blessings, friendship, and collaboration. I’ll bring all this newfound knowledge of Goddesses and the art of many m/others back to the Museum of Motherhood with me. It will certainly inform my work moving forward and I look forward to the future conversations, creativity, and future collaborations this will inspire.

Yours in Love, Light, and M/otherhood. I hope my American friends have a great Memorial Day Weekend – Martha Joy Rose

More about my personal perspectives can be found at my blog: MarthaJoyRose.com

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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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Art Blog Education Featured Featured Artists Internships JourMS Living Board Announcements motherhood Opportunities Queering Parenting st petersburg USF

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 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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Featured

M.A.M.A 51: Art and words by Clara Aldén

The Mother of Frankenstein’s Monster, 2021

The Mother of Frankenstein’s Monster (2021) researches the production of bodies and identities in relation to motherhood. ” My children were produced by and within my body”. Production continues after birth: children’s bodies grow and their identities develop. The identity of the mother is also born in relation to the child’s birth. This inquiry revolves around the idea of maternal “split subjectivity” and the child as an “unruly descendant” of the mother. It researches the conjunction of symbiosis and struggles present within a mother-child relationship.

The project includes an audio essay intended to be listened to at home. Listen to it while you are doing the dishes, or picking up toys from the living room floor. It departs from Mary Shelley’s famous novel Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus (1818) and invites the listener to reflect upon maternal aspects present within their own lives, within their own homes.

Link to audio essay (10:24min) here. 

THE MOTHER OF FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER, Essay by Clara Aldén

Are you familiar with the story about Frankenstein’s monster? 

Direct your gaze upon your child, and listen to this:

Dr Frankenstein was just a student when he started the creation of his creature. He struggled for two years to conceive his baby; stealing bones from graveyards, and intestines from slaughterhouses and autopsies. To create human life was his greatest ambition. 

Yet, when the creature opened his eyes the only thing Dr Frankenstein felt was fear.

Why was he frightened?

I think he could sense that he had lost control over his creation. 

Have you ever felt that you have lost control over your creations?

I imagine that Doctor Frankenstein didn’t understand what he was getting himself into when he conceived his baby. 

My children were materialized out of a moment of loss of control. We lost control for a second and they started existing. The first time it happened I wasn’t aware of it for several weeks. The second time I immediately felt a new presence within my body. 

“The idea of two people occupying one body is bizarre and disturbing. And yet, we all began life inside the body of another human being—immersed in a systemic interchange, absorbing both nutrients from the maternal body and hormonal derivatives of her emotions, while pumping out refuse through her bodily orifices.“

My pregnancy felt parasitic. I struggled my entire life to become autonomous, and now I was slowly dividing into two. My body swelled and grew. Inside my body grew the body of another.

My insides were suddenly someone else’s outsides and I bumped my stomach on tables as I tried to navigate this universe. 

“As I lean over in my chair to tie my shoe, I am surprised by the graze of this hard belly on my thigh. I do not anticipate my body touching itself, for my habits retain the old sense of my boundaries. In the ambiguity of bodily touch, I feel myself being touched and touching simultaneously, both on my knee and my belly. The belly is other since I did not expect it there, but since I feel the touch upon it, it is me.”

It is impossible to physically tell if a pregnant person is one or two people.

The subject of the pregnant is split. 

Do you recognize the sensation of your mind being two places at once? 

How many creatures do you have within your care? 

Look around you: we’ve already established that there are children within your care. But apart from that? Any pets? Or old parents that need care? Any plants that need water? How many things would not survive if you just got up and walked away?

Like Dr Frankenstein did.

During pregnancy a body is created. But a person is not just a body. Dr Frankenstein created a body but abandoned it immediately after birth. He got scared and ran away. His monster was left to care for himself. He wandered around trying to find company, but everywhere he turned he got violently rejected. The only thing he craved was love and affection. When he realized that this was something he would never obtain, he turned to his creator:

“Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall be virtuous.”

My children are neither monsters nor fallen angels. But they are my unruly descendants. 

Physically detached from me. Free to roam the world. It is impossible to understand where I end and they begin. 

Look at your baby: think about the complexity of bones, arteries and blood cells, nerves that exist under their skin. Imagine the universe that inhabits their minds. 

For the longest time I wasn’t able to face my children. I looked at them but did not see them. I was afraid that if I did, truly look at them,  they would be pulled away from me like Eurydice was from Orpheus when he couldn’t keep himself from looking back at her on their way back up from the underworld.

I tried to make a drawing of my eldest, when he was just a couple of weeks old and realized that from now on, everything I produce, with hands, mind, voice, would stand in the shadow of the creativity of my womb.

Nothing could ever compete with these creations. 

These creations also made it perfectly clear that they demanded my total focus and attention. No time for other artifacts. 

What happens when the needs and wishes of your creations collide with your own? 

Frankenstein’s monster started out as an idéa that grew into an obsession and then into a body.  The movements of this newborn body revealed a free will, detached from the intentions of its creator.

“Sometimes words trigger off cataclysms, sometimes acts, sometimes physical conditions.“

The monster followed in the footsteps of his creator. But somewhere during this race across the globe the roles were shifted; the antagonist became the protagonist, and the creator started chasing his creation.

Text with full reference list can be found here.

More about Clara

Clara Aldén (b.1988) is a Swedish artist working and living in Gothenburg. She holds a BFA from Bergen Art Academy (UIB, NO) and a MFA from HDK-Valand (GU, SE), where she graduated in 2021. Her work has been displayed in Västerbottens Museum (SE), Göteborgs Konsthall (SE), Index (SE) and Bergen Kunsthall (NO) to name a few. 

Clara works with sculpture, drawing and text-based art. Her work is situated within the private sphere, and she employs her immediate surroundings to research general societal structures. Since becoming a mother her work has mainly focused on domestic and maternal thematics. Within Clara’s artistic research, motherhood is considered a practice and not a state of being. Likewise, this practice is not considered to be limited by biological bounds. She is inspired by Donna Haraway’s thoughts on kin-making, and even if the maternal interest grew out of her biological motherhood, her thoughts and research stretch away from the immediate biological connotations and wishes to explore the practice of maternity in the expanded notion. The notion of care, regarding interruption and control loss as a positive force, and trying to work in a relational and non-autonomous manner are examples of maternal aspects important within her work. 

Procreate Project, the Museum of Motherhood and the Mom Egg Review are pleased to announce the 49th edition of this scholarly discourse. Literature intersects with art to explore the wonder and the challenges of motherhood. Using words and art to connect new pathways between the academic, the para-academic, the digital and the real, as well as the everyday: wherever you live, work and play, the Art of Motherhood is made manifest. #JoinMAMA #artandmotherhood

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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.”