May is Mothers’ Month– and here we are once more – celebrating the art, science, and herstory of American women and mothers with international collaborations. While MoM situates itself as a museum primarily focused on the last 250 years of North American women, m/others and families, our internships, conferences, and online exhibitions span the gamut from the UK to Canada, from Europe to Asia.
Here we go: LET THE MAY COUNTDOWN BEGIN!
ONE: May 1st was supposed to be the conclusion of our fundraising initiatives for fund our 2024-25 season, yet we persist. The Fundraiser continues to meet our 2024-25 Budget of $100K.
We thank the Rays and Rowdies for their recent sponsorship and we thank our new Founders Circle members: Liz Dimmitt, Aleks Miziolek, Betty Schaub and our assorted friends who have also contributed donations to this “We Build Tampa Bay” fundraiser.
In the meantime, our newest art exhibit, includes a collaborative work entitled ‘A Womb of Our Own – Seeing Red‘. This sculpture is currently onsite at MoM and will see its completion on Wednesday, May 8th with additional pieces contributed by Jessica Caldas. The sculpture assemblage includes the vision of MoM curator Martha Joy Rose and contributions by Leroy – the King of Art. Visit us Wednesday 6-7:30 PM to PLAY and CELEBRATE the fab new vision! But, first make your pledge to MoM by using this form or by donating directly to Join our Founders Circle.
We are also collaborating with The Saint Petersburg Month of Photography (SPMOP) for the exhibition MOTHER LENS: Four Visions of Motherhood: Mikaela Martin, Jena Love, Águeda Sanfiz, and Angelika Kollin, present their reflections on motherhood with very distinctive voices that range from the visual personal journal, the photojournalistic essay, conceptual photography, and fine art portraiture. [More]
SPMOP Exhibit
Jessica Caldas Sculpture Rendering
TWO: MaMaPaLooZa is May 4th 10-4PM at The Factory in St. Pete in partnership with Fairgrounds St. Pete. Come to 2606 Fairfield Ave. S. Enjoy the day! FREE for the family with lots of activities, music, and discounted tix to the Fairgrounds. Full description on our page here.
THREE: 3 months is all we have at our current location at The Factory. Yes, that’s correct.May, June, July and then we begin looking for our next location. What does that mean? MoM’s going to need to make plans for where we pop up next. Have ideas? Want to help us make something happen? Get in touch. We need your input now. Join Us.
Summer Hours at MoM
Beginning immediately, our hours at The Factory May –July will be 12-6 Thursday-Sunday. If you are visiting locally or from out of town, make sure to book your tour in advance. We have a small volunteer team and sometimes may not be onsite if you have not pre-booked, however we do our best and you can always reach out! Call ahead 877-711-MOMS (6667) or write: INFO@MOMmuseum.org
Other Activities and Friends
The Mysteries About Manifestation Revealed from our friend Brett Cotter
New Program – Align Your Actions with Your Destiny
There is something almost all other manifestation programs miss; how do you break free from the subconscious beliefs that manifests all the stress and lack in our lives? Mantras and affirmations will not stick if your deeper core beliefs are not in alignment.
In this 4-Week Program you will be guided through 4 essential steps to manifest the life you want.
You will be guided to:
1. Identify your deepest desire and purpose
2. Release the old fear and programming you have around living your destiny now
3. Embody the new beliefs that automatically manifest the life you want
4. Align your time with your soul’s priorities
Facilitator: Brett Cotter, Author, Retreat Leader, and Trauma Recovery Expert with 20-years experience consciously working with the laws of manifestation. He teaches with his wife at the Omega Institute, Kripalu, Himalayan Institute, Tibet House, and Sivananda Ashram on Paradise Island.
Price: Early bird special $99 ends May 3rd, after that $199
Sunday, May 197:00 PM – 8:30 PM Online Motherhood: The Forever Job(FREE)– An evening of new writing by author and artist Suzi Banks Baum, followed by a discussion about the importance of writing motherhood with Joy Rose, award-winning artist, activist, and founder of the Museum of Motherhood. Participate in an Open Mic event for IWWG members and guests. Register Online.
Books
Matricentric feminism seeks to make motherhood the business of feminism by positioning mothers’ needs and concerns as the starting point for a theory and politic on and for the empowerment of women as mothers. Based on the conviction that mothering is a verb, it understands that becoming and being a mother is not limited to biological mothers or cisgender women but rather to anyone who does the work of mothering as a central part of their life. The Mother Wave, the first-ever book on the topic, compellingly explores how mothers need a matricentric mode of feminism organized from and for their particular identity and work as mothers, and because mothers remain disempowered despite sixty years of feminism. MoM Founder & Director, Martha Joy Rose has a chapter in this book. Order yours now.
Spirited Woman through The Spirited Woman Foundation has created a program with the Museum of Motherhood to honor one courageous unstoppable mother on the next chapter of her journey. The mission of the Spirited Woman Foundation is to help heal and support women through actions of empowerment. The Spirited Woman Residency offers one spirited mom a chance to speak her voice, walk her path, gain time away for reflection and to flourish and thrive through a guided, intensive experience – all within a sacred space, in a creative environment, with the objective of fulfilling her personal dream-goals. Every woman has the right to be heard. Every woman has a voice. Every woman must help another.
THE SISTERHOOD OF THE SACRED SCARVES
– Nancy Mills, Founder of the Spirited Woman and The Sisterhood of the Sacred Scarves – Wearing AWAKENED ENERGY –
A large portion of the Spirited Woman Foundation money continues to be raised through the Sisterhood of the Sacred Scarves program. It is by purchasing these “Spirited Woman Prayer Scarves” that a portion of each scarf’s proceeds is donated by Spirited Woman into the Spirited Woman Foundation.
Purchase a scarf. Assorted colors and intentions! (Click photo)
The Sisterhood of the Sacred Scarves honors women through scarf and ceremony. The Spirited Woman Prayer Scarf is a symbol of spirit, empowerment, and beauty. To date, there have been 18 scarves each with a different theme. 1000s have been sold worldwide, connecting women together energetically. The scarves themselves have been blessed – each carries sacred energy.
Spiritually and socially conscious sisters proudly wear the prayer scarves as a symbol of support at gatherings, marches, retreats and in spirit around the world.
The latest Spirited Woman Prayer Scarf is AWAKENED ENERGY.
The prayer scarves are a Mother’s Day gift for the entire year – filled with meaning – a gift both can share and help others at the same time. By wearing the scarf you will be making a statement of sacred love – together. What a beautiful message to give our daughters, our sisters, our friends, and our divine sacred selves.
ABOUT DAWN PARKER – Recipient of Spirited Woman Residency Scholarship
Dawn Louise Parker
Dawn first visited the new Museum Art Annex, which is the personal live/work space of M. Joy Rose in February 2017. There was an instant connection between Dawn’s bright and curious personality and the spirit of the Museum, which had recently relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida from New York. Museum founder, M. Joy Rose and Dawn brainstormed on ways for Dawn to introduce her work at the upcoming annual MOM Conference. That experience quickly evolved into dual participation at the AEHK Art Tour in which Ms. Rose presented new art-works and Ms. Parker dialogued with interested attendees.
“Dawn impressed me from the moment I met her,” says Rose.” I could perceive that she was thinking deeply about her life and was committed to the next stage of her journey, namely that she had dedicated much of her life to raising her child (who is now a successful filmmaker living in California), and that she was ready to come into her own power. She was very focused on the next steps that would help activate her four years of writing, spiritual evolution, and prepare her to successfully launch her new career as an author and inspirational teacher.”
Ms. Parker is a writer, intuitive problem solver, empathetic public relations expert, thought provoker, outdoor beachy sun lover, wildish nature nurturer, and a fiercely independent self-starter. Her current writing project, “Forty-Seven Days of Love,” journals her soulful search to find self-love as a way to heal emotional wounds and heartbreak, anxiety, low self-esteem, negative self-image and relational dysfunction.
Speaking at The Academic MOM Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida inspired Dawn to enroll in the SHFT Catalyst Coaching Intensive to become a certified life coach. She is currently a contributing author to their blog on SHFT.us.
Dawn wants everyone to know how blessed she feels to receive the Spirited Woman Residency Scholarship! (thespiritedwoman.com). “This gift,” says Dawn, “will allow me to focus on completing my book while remembering my very spiritual connection to not only my life but the lives of women everywhere. I plan on wearing my scarf while I write and on making it part of my daily ritual. I also plan on conducting one workshop focused on women’s issues here at M.O.M over the summer.”
WHY DAWN IS A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR
“I am a Spirited Woman because my story is a story of transformation. I have not sugar-coated the raw emotion, love, heartache, and pain that were part of this ongoing healing. I want to share my evolution towards a purer heart, focused on compassion, while seeking forgiveness. I celebrate the glimpses of triumphant peace that I am always arriving at. Telling my story comes directly through an intimate connection with divine love, which is the source of light that runs through every human heart. I know we are not meant to do this life alone. I want to share the knowledge that each of us matters, that our hearts are precious, that each person’s story is important, and that feelings are valid. I want each and every one of us to know that we are capable of living in the light and that we are meant to shine.” ~ DLP INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK
THE MUSEUM OF MOTHERHOOD
The Museum of Motherhood (M.O.M.) is an exhibition and education center dedicated to the exploration of family – past, present, and future with a focus on women, mothers, and families.
M.O.M.’s mission is to start great conversations, feature thought-provoking exhibits, and share information and education about women, mothers, and families.
The Museum of Motherhood is made possible by the Motherhood Foundation Inc. – is a certified nonprofit 501c3 that creates, produces and presents artistic, educational and cultural content that studies and supports mothers and their activities. MFI disseminates information about mothers for broad public consumption while paying tribute to mothers (Moms) free of age, race and socio-economic barriers. MFI cares about and acts upon the status of women while celebrating their courage, fortitude, and ingenuity, and while addressing important issues, creating meaningful content, and providing compelling community experiences
SPIRITED WOMAN
Spirited Woman (www.thespiritedwoman.com) is a leading global women’s empowerment community founded close to 20 years ago by Nancy Mills. It is known for celebrating the every woman visionary, who is inspiring and changing the world one Spirited Woman Step at a time.
Kimm Sun, is a Certified Nurse Midwife, Nurse Practitioner
12th Annual M.O.M. Academic Conference
THEORIZING MOTHERHOOD IN THE ACADEMY
***M.O.M. Conference Panelists and Presenters – See Schedule. Each time slot is 20 minutes (unless I have written to tell you differently)***
Friday, May 6th MORNING OPENING KEYNOTE: Laura Tropp specializes in media and politics and representations of pregnancy, motherhood, and families in popular culture.
Saturday, May 7thMORNING OPENING KEYNOTE: Kimberly Seals Allers whose 5th book The Big Let Down will be published this summer. Kimberly is an award-winning journalist, author and a nationally recognized media commentator, speaker, consultant and advocate for infant health.
We will be meeting in the Alumni Room, which is in the lower portion of the library. Look for signs, or take the elevator from the O’Malley Library.
TECH SUPPORT
There is a power point projector, computer, speaker, and screen onsite. Bring your laptop or a zip drive, or post your material in the cloud and you will be able to present using the equipment at our location. There is some limited space for brochures, art, and books as well. Feel free to share your passions.
BAGEL & COFFEE BREAKFAST WILL BE PROVIDED EACH DAY
SOCIAL MEDIA
Do you have a twitter handle or a Facebook page? Let’s connect!!
May 6-7 MOM Conference at Manhattan College, 4513 Manhattan College Parkway, Bronx, NY 10471 (Schedule TBD) – We will updating the schedule in the next few weeks.
TRANSPORTATION
New York City has two major airports: JFK and LaGuardia.
Public transportation is available from both via train, and cab.
The train from JFK is rather straightforward and costs about $7.50. I would encourage you not to be fearful about taking this option if budget is a concern. There are people at the airport who can direct you, and I’ve done this many times. Here is a link to the NYC Subway Map: http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf
PANELS, CULTURE, and SPECIAL GATHERINGS
New York City is an amazing place. Surely you will want to do a little exploring. We also plan on organizing a few special panels, roundtable discussions, and speakers for you, but will make sure there is time in the evenings to step out, either with conference goers or on your own.
After our two-week long Mother’s Day blitz, we at the Museum of Motherhood are feeling a range of emotions: engaged, curious, tired, brave, inquisitive, grateful, overworked, eager, empowered, loved, etc. (all of which resonate with the self-described experience of motherhood!). Our annual conference, and subsequent week of special readings/appearances at the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble and award ceremony for our Motherhood Hall of Fame were all a tremendous success! In case you missed any of the events, here’s a brief recap:
On Thursday, April 30 – Saturday, May 2, we grappled with concepts related to “New Maternalisms”, including visual depictions of motherhood, doula work, motherhood identity, maternal storytelling, mothers navigating disabilities, institutional barriers to motherhood, work-life balance, body/breastfeeding issues, and motherhood theory. We heard a keynote from Barbara Katz Rothman on “Mothers as Fathers.” Our own Joy Rose introduced the formation of her burgeoning field of Mother Studies and associated academic journal.
On Wednesday, May 7, we heard from Marjorie Kessler and selections of her compilation from a series of mom-centric authors, The Mom Egg Review.
On Thursday, May 8, we honored Ann Fessler and Amber Kinser with their induction to the Motherhood Hall of Fame. Both authors spoke about their pieces – The Girls Who Went Away and Motherhood and Feminism, respectively. We got a more in-depth perspective of their writing/research journeys through a Q & A session with both women following the recognition ceremony.
On Friday, May 9, we welcomed select authors from Listen to Your Mother, a collection of 56 soul-bearing essays on motherhood, childbearing, family, and parenting.
On Saturday, May 10, we got to meet family nutrition guru, Laura Fuentes. Laura shared insight on family food, children’s health, recipe development, and mom-trepreneurism.
Lastly as a special Mother’s Day treat, on Sunday, we had the privilege of hearing from back-to-back speakers. First, Katharine Holabird, author of the famous Angelina Ballerina series enchanted us with a glimpse into her whimsical world. Then, Susan Konig – editor, journalist, radio host, and writer – spoke about her new book, Teenagers and Toddlers Are Trying to Kill Me. Then, we celebrated Mother’s Day with a bang!
Motherhood Hall of Fame 2015; Amber Kinser, Ann Fessler
First and foremost, thank you to everyone who came out to our 2015 “New Maternalisms” conference held over the weekend at the CUNY Graduate Center and Manhattan College, and to all our empowering and uplifting speakers! We will continue to grapple with the issues and material raised over the course of the three-day series throughout the upcoming year. It’s a good feeling to be so knowledge-heavy! Following this insightful, invigorating, and thought-provoking journey, we’re moving full-speed ahead into the week of Mother’s Day and all the associated activities we have planned. We will continue to champion motherwork through a week-long book fair sponsored by Barnes and Noble to benefit the museum, a speaker/reading series to be held at the Upper West Side Barnes and Noble each day between May 6-May 10, and our annual Motherhood Hall of Fame event on Thursday, May 7 at the Upper West Side Barnes and Noble.
The Motherhood Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be hosted by the Museum of Motherhood’s Joy Rose and Manhattan College Professor of Sociology Roksana Badruddoja. The event will take place from 7-9PM on Thursday, May 7 at the Upper West Side Barnes and Noble (on the corner of 82nd and Broadway*). The evening will honor Ann Fessler and Amber Kinser through remarks, performances, a question/answer session, and readings/talks from the two awardees. The Museum of Motherhood is celebrating these motherhood warriors for their “Practical and Political Inspiration.”
For more on Ann Fessler and Amber Kinser’s contribution to our field, check out their bios below:
Ann Fessler is a photographer, filmmaker, and author. She a professor in the Photography department at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her films, photographs, artists’ books, and audio and video installations have been shown in galleries, museums, and film festivals around the world. Her own experience with adoption has inspired her to explore this topic artistically and has been the theme of her work for the last 25 years. In 2003, Ann was awarded a Radcliffe Fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University to compile research and conduct interviews with women who lost children to adoption in the 1950s and 1960s. This research culminated in the publication of The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade (Penguin Press), which was chosen as one of the top 5 non-fiction books of 2006 by the National Book Critics Circle and received the Ballard Book Prize. The Times called it a “remarkably well-researched and accomplished book.” Her recent film, A Girl Like Her (Women Make Movies), has been screened internationally at festivals, colleges, and conferences, and has been subtitled in 5 languages.
Amber Kinser is a writer, speaker, mother, and professor. She is a professor of Communication and Performance at East Tennessee State University, where her scholarship covers family, food, gender, and communication. She was instrumental in forging the Women’s Studies undergraduate major at the university. Dr. Kinser is the author of Performing Motherhood: Artistic, Activist, and Everyday Enactments and Motherhood and Feminism. She is currently underway in a university-sponsored research project, for which she received a $10,000 grant, to study motherhood and the family meal.
*Please note, a previous post had erroneously listed this address as being at 86th and Broadway. The Upper West Side Barnes and Noble location is at 2289 Broadway, the corner of 82nd and Broadway.
What would a Museum of Motherhood-sponsored Mother’s Day reading be without humor, inspiration, art, or creativity? Luckily, we will never have to find out, because our Barnes and Noble event on Sunday, May 10 will feature readings from Katharine Holabird of the famed Angelina Ballerina children’s series and Susan Konig, the author of several books and essays that draw from her experience as a mother. Katharine will open our special Mother’s Day event with a reading at the Upper West Side Barnes and Noble (82nd St. and Broadway) from 1-2PM, followed by a reading from Susan Konig out of her new book Teenagers and Toddlers Are Trying to Kill Me from 2-3PM. Book lovers can support the Museum of Motherhood from May 6-15 by shopping the Museum of Motherhood book fair online at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/bookfairs/. Enter the code of 11455805 at checkout to see a portion of the sale benefit the museum.
For more information about Susan Konig, check out her bio here:
Susan Konig has been a staff writer for The Washington Post, an editor at Seventeen magazine and a columnist for TheNew York Post. Her articles and essays have appeared in national publications including Ladies’ Home Journal, Travel & Leisure, First for Women and Parade. She co-hosted the popular Speak Now…with Dave and Susan Konig on Sirius Satellite radio with her Emmy Award-winning comedian husband. Her first book, Why Animals Sleep So Close to the Road (and Other Lies I Tell My Children), was called “brilliant, witty, and downright Bombeckian” by USA Today. Her follow-up I Wear the Maternity Pants in This Family was a Parade Pick in Parade magazine. Her third book, Teenagers and Toddlers Are Trying to Kill Me!, is based on a true story. http://www.susankonig.net
Continuing from our post last week about the programming that we have going on during the week leading up to Mother’s Day, we’re pleased to showcase the event that will be held on Saturday, May 9. As with the Mother Egg Review event we mentioned in our last post, the Museum of Motherhood will emcee a series of mother-centric appearances and readings at the Upper West Side Barnes and Noble (at 82nd and Broadway) from May 6-10. These events coincide with a fundraiser to benefit the museum, hosted by B & N. You may have seen this posted on other parts of our site, but just in case you missed it, here’s the skinny on the fundraiser: for the week of May 6-15, anyone who purchases books through barnesandnoble.com and uses the code 11455805 will see a portion of their sale go to the Museum of Motherhood. On Saturday, May 9, we will welcome Laura Fuentes, renown children’s wellness expert, to the Upper West Side Barnes and Noble from 1-3PM.
Laura is an author, speaker, recipe developer, entrepreneur, and expert in the field of family nutrition. She is the creator and founder of MOMables, an online resource that offers fun and creative ideas for planning kids’ school lunches. She is the host of MOMables Radio, a podcast available on iTunes, a columnist for the Huffington Post, a purveyor of useful how-tos on her YouTube channel, and the author of two must-have recipe books for parents everywhere: The Best Homemade Kids’ Lunches on the Planet and The Best Homemade Snacks on the Planet. Additionally, Laura speaks nationally on a wide range of topics, including family food, children’s health, school lunch policy, and business. She holds a degree in Global Economics and a Master’s of Business Administration. A common thread among these ventures, Laura is “committed to helping parents make real food happen in their households by sharing easy recipes and quick tips.” Laura is a native of Spain and the mother of three.
