Extended Self: Transformations and Connections

Extended Self: Transformations and Connections features artwork by a diverse group of artists at various stages of art-making and parenting. All works included in the show reveal the physical engagement of the body of the artist as a mother – in metaphor, form, process, image, data or motion. This is a unifying yet divergent premise, allowing for a diversity of work and of artists. Work in the show is grouped in intimate “conversations,” illuminating the importance of having other artist mother role models, and of building a community to support each other through the challenges of parenting and maintaining a creative practice.  

Resource Library and Reading Room
In the center of the exhibition space is the Resource Library and Reading Room – an interactive place for parents and children to gather and connect with each other. This visible, accessible and nurturing space allows families to play, rest, feed, and explore mother artist-made books and zines. Also represented here are artist-run initiatives from all over the world that have sprung up to meet the social, professional and practical needs of artist mothers. This Reading Room will serve as a meeting place for various family-friendly programming throughout the exhibition, emphasizing the need for social support structures and role models in the life of an artist mother. 

Through the exhibition, Resource Library and Reading Room, and family-friendly programming, “Extended Self: Transformations and Connections” highlights the importance of representation and visibility of artists who mothers in the art world, and to view their experiences as vital to meaningful art production.