The pitchAfter the last mom-themed art show, To Give Rise To in Lancaster City at the Community Room on King gallery space, I walked away with two thoughts: 1. this show (the work paired with the artist statements, plus the vulnerability of the artists in the show) really impacted people's lives in a way that NEEDS to continue in some form in this area (south-central PA), and 2. I am completely exhausted with the logistical work to make this show happen every year in the spring (read: during the school year and the art department's busy season). I decided to rest and not email every gallery in Lancaster again with pictures and beg for space to make our voices heard. Truth - I really did that after the first Motherhood Journey art show in 2019. While I waited, several people kept encouraging me with how the show impacted them and how the show was a form of ministry (and I know that's a heavy word with lots of connotations, so I use it cautiously, but I cannot deny where my heart is at with this show.) One day during the summer, I was casually scrolling through Facebook and I saw a friend of mine put out an update asking that if any artists wanted to collaborate with the Susquehanna Art Museum, to let her know. I did and found out that the museum would take care of a lot of the logistical work that I found exhausting to complete during the school year! (So that met one of my needs moving forward) AND the museum was interested in the show and could give me space to run a workshop that would allow mothers the opportunity to do some reflective art-making in conjunction with the show! (and that met the other need!) How AWEsome?! And so I began finding artists (which is easy because so many of them are my friends...is that cheating? Nah - I just run with a talented bunch of art-mamas. Here's the show synopsis: Mythologies of Motherhood chronicles personal stories of artists currently raising children. The artwork included draws attention to the disparities between the “ideals” of motherhood and the realities of actual family dynamics. This exhibition makes space for celebrating, commiserating, laughing, and reflecting upon our own development of personal mythologies in our motherhood experiences. Mythologies traditionally reference historical tales, but in a contemporary context that can be of a more personal nature. What myths of parenthood did you encounter or challenge with your own experience? The WorkMy two pieces for the show are a of a very new color palette for me. I think the spiciness of life has chipped away at my browns and golds I so often gravitate towards.
knew we were in trouble. So I made a U-turn right there on the highway and headed towards Great-Grandma's house. They lived on top of a hill. Luckily, she had one of Emerson's pull-ups but she didn't have any wipes. We made due. She made us some food and we waited to hear from daddy. Finally, we heard that daddy was able to get home, but he had bad news - our house was flooded and our roof leaked. We couldn't go back home, at least we couldn't stay there. So we packed up what we could and went to Grammy + Papa's house." The IronyOn day 34987598709879 of being quarantined since 2022 began...ok, so it was like day 30 or something like that, I realized that OF COURSE life and being a mom would collide hard with the show's finished work deadline and all of the other demands of being a teacher ending one semester and starting a new one (along with a baby shower for my SIL, more construction delays on our renovation project, a small-town art show in the middle of a snowstorm that I committed to months before). UGH. Yes, we were quarantined 3 times since the start of January - THREE TIMES! My son went to preschool/daycare for a total of 9.5 days from the start of 2022 until mid February. I think I took 16 sick days to not only have COVID but also to scramble to provide care for my quarantined kid. Somehow, a sleep deprived version of myself, surrounded in praying friends and curbside pick up, managed quite the feat and balancing act. But isn't that what the show is about? Messy life doesn't mean keeping regular studio hours for many of us, and that needs to be ok because regular studio hours don't make an artist (although, it would be lovely & helpful to have them!).
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