Notes On Motherhood

What role does community play in contemporary mothering experiences? How might we tackle taboo topics such as postpartum anxiety, rage, and birth trauma, while celebrating maternal joy, love, sacredness and the spectrum of emotions in between? What can we do to acknowledge the invisible labor of mothering, recognizing it is not a monolithic experience, and offering a rich tapestry of alternative, inclusive narratives?

“Notes on Motherhood” explores various stages of matrescence, or “mother-becoming” –– from birth and caregiving to grief and loss. The exhibition challenges the narrow depictions of mothers and mothering within art history and visual culture. Drawing from the museum’s dynamic collection, the presentation assesses the presence and absence of nuanced, complex portrayals of motherhood. Often, maternity is viewed through a male gaze, with the image of the Madonna and Child dominating the experience. Alongside selections from the collection, the exhibition inserts voices and perspectives traditionally left out. Regional women-identified artists, such as Megan Driving Hawk (United States, b. 1988), Gabriela Muñoz (United States, b. Mexico 1980) and Ashley Czajkowski (United States, b. 1986), each offer a unique perspective on mothering, thereby expanding upon the limited understandings of birth, nurturing and unseen domestic labor.