FUNDING + RECOMMENDED READING + VIDEO/AUDIO
GROUPS + PROJECTS + EXHIBITIONS + RESIDENCIES
FUNDING FOR PARENTING ARTISTS
Sustainable Arts Foundation: Supporting Artists + Writers with Families
Parent Artist Advocacy League for the Performing Arts (PAAL) Grants
RECOMMENDED READING
Invisible Spaces of Parenthood, Andrea Francke, ed.
Artists Raising Kids Compendium, Andrew Simonet ed.
Big Kids, Jo Pollit and Lilly Blue, eds.
Cultural ReProducers: Propositions, Manifestos, and Experiments, Christa Donner, ed.
Pregnant Butch, A.K. Summers
How We Do Both: Art and Motherhood, Michi Jigarjian and Qiana Mestrich eds.
Miseryland, Keiler Roberts
Powdered Milk, Keiler Roberts
Motherhood in the Art World, Claudia Sandoval Romero
BOOKS AND CRITICAL COLLECTIONS
How Not to Exclude Artist Mothers (and Other Parents), Hettie Judah
Designing Motherhood, Michelle Millar Fisher and Amber Winick eds
Supervision: On Motherhood and Surveillance, Sophie Hamacher and Jessica Hankey, eds
Inappropriate Bodies: Art, Design, and Maternity, Rachel Epp Buller and Charles Reeve
Bearing Meaning: The Language of Birth, Robbie Kahn
The Divided Heart: Art and Motherhood, Rachel Power
Feminist Art and the Maternal, Andrea Liss
Five Book, The Institute for the Art and Practice of Dissent at Home
The Fruits of Labor: Creativity, Self-Expression and Motherhood, Penny Sumner
The Grand Permission: New Writings on Poetics and Motherhood, Patricia Dienstfrey, ed.
just about anything from Demeter Press
Home Truths: Photography and Motherhood, Susan Bright, ed.
Live Art and Motherhood: A Study Room Guide, Emily Underwood-Lee and Lena Simic, eds.
Mamaphonic: Balancing Motherhood and Other Creative Acts, Bee Lavender and Maia Rossini, eds
Mothernism, Lise Haller Baggesen
Motherhood and Space: Configurations of the Maternal through Politics, Home, and the Body, Sarah Hardy, Caroline Wiedmer, eds.
The Model: A Model for a Qualitative Society, Lars Bang Larsen ed.
Mother Reader: Essential Writings on Motherhood, Moyra Davey, ed.
The Mums and Babies Ensemble: A Manual, Duska Radosavljevic, Annie Rigby, Lena Simic
The M Word: Real Mothers in Contemporary Art, Myrel Chernick and Jennie Klein
A Question of Balance: Artists and Writers on Motherhood, Judith Pierce Rosenburg, ed.
Performing Motherhood, Amber Kinser, Kryn Freehling-Burton, and Terri Hawkes, eds.
Portrait of the Mother-Artist: Class & Creativity in Contemporary American Fiction, Nancy Gerber
Reconciling Art and Mothering, Rachel Epp Buller, ed.
Strong Hearts, Inspired Minds: 21 Artists Who Are Mothers Tell Their Stories, Anne Mavor (Author), Christine Eagon (Photographer) and Judith Pierce Rosenberg
Wild Motherhood: Tending the Fire of your Creative Spirit, Morgan Nichols
ESSAYS AND ARTICLES
During the Pandemic, Artist-Parents Get Creative, Rachel Heidenry, Hyperallergic
Two Ailey Stars will Now Turn their Focus to Baby Steps, Gia Kourlas, NY Times
Motherhood is Taboo in the Art World, Hettie Judah, The Guardian
The Central, Yet Invisible Labor of Motherhood in the Arts, Ksenya Gurshtein, Hyperallergic
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Mom, Kim Brooks, NYMag
Artist Residencies Need to Start Thinking About Parents, Daniel Gerwin, Hyperallergic
6 Questions about Art and Parenthood, Leah Sandals, CanadianArt
The Art of Having it All, Katherine Gressel, Createqity
The Art of Reproduction, Troy Pieper, F News
Artist, Parent, or Both? , Lawrence Bradby, Axisweb
The Art World Needs More Children, Lori Waxman, The Chicago Tribune
Being an Artist and a Mother, Lauren Weinstein, The New Yorker
Being a Mother is Not a Problem to Solve..., Elena Marchevska, the Guardian
Can Women in the Art World "Have it All?" Alanna Martinez, Blouin ArtInfo
Children Welcome: Art By Parents..., Lori Waxman, The Chicago Tribune
Critic's Pick: Division of Labor, Caroline Picard, Artforum.com
Curator Says MOMA PS1 Wanted Her, Until She Had a Baby, Melena Ryzik, NY Times
How Has Parenthood Informed your Writing Life? James Parker, NY Times
Maternal Metaphors, Jennie Klein
Models for a New Society, Bonnie Fortune, Mythological Quarter
On Motherhood, Apple Pie, and Being an Artist, Mira Schor and Susan Bee eds,
M/E/A/N/I/N/N/G #12
Mothers of Invention, Parul Sehgal, Bookforum
Mother, Writer, Monster, Maid, Rufi Thorpe, Velo
Neo-Maternalism: Contemporary Artists' Approach to Motherhood, Sharon Butler, the Brooklyn Rail
One in Four Performing Arts Careers Halted by Parenthood, Matthew Hemley, the Guardian
Parental Aesthetics or How to Make Art and Have Children, Too, Lori Waxman, Immersive Life Practices, Daniel Tucker ed.
The Parent Trap: Art After Children, Frank Cottrell Boyce, The Guardian
Photo Exhibit Brings Motherhood to Light, Lori Waxman, The Chicago Tribune
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Mom, Kim Brooks,
Reflections on Art, Motherhood, and Maternal Ambivalence, Myrel Chernick
The Robaupair, and other Adventures in Creative Parenting, Crosby + Davies, Fo.am
The Spacing of Parental Values, Brett Bloom, Kindling Quarterly #4
Taking Custody: Owning the Role of Artist AND Mother, Alyssa Pelish, On the Issues
Who Gives a Shit? On Motherhood and the Arts, Felicity Castagna, Southerly Journal
Why Can't Great Artists Be Mothers? Jacoba Urist, Women in the World
Writer, Mother, Both, Neither, Belle Boggs, Lithub
Yo Mama: On Art and Working Motherhood, Christian L. Frock, KQED
You Can Be a Mother and Still Be a Successful Artist, Marina Cashdan, Artsy.net
GROUPS and their EVENTS
ACTIVE / ONGOING
Artist/Mother Workshops and Community (USA/online)
Aviatrix Atelier (Berlin)
Birth Rites Collection (United Kingdom)
Both Artist and Mother
Center for Parenting Artists
CreativeCollaborative Mothers (India)
Desperate Artwives (United Kingdom)
Eleventh Hour (United Kingdom)
the egg, the womb, the head and the moon
ESME - showcasing creative work by solo mothers
Extended Practice (Chicago)
Friday Records
Families and Friends Matinee Series (Chicago)
M.A.M.A. International
MaMSIE (United Kingdom)
 |
| Enemies of Good Art at the Tate Modern |
Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Hackathons (Boston, Detroit, USA)
Maternal Art
MeWe (United Kingdom)
Mother Creatrix Collective (New York, USA)
Mother House (United Kingdom)
The Mother Artist Project
The Mother Load
Mother Makers
Mother-Musing
MOTHRA
MUTHA Magazine
Mythological Quarter: Artist Parents Series
The Mothership Project (Ireland)
(M)otherhood Art and Life Seminar (UK)
M/Other Voices (Netherlands)
Parent Advocacy League for the Performing Arts (PAAL) (United States)
Parenting Artists / Parents in the Arts SG (Singapore)
Pen Parentis (New York, USA)
ProCreate Project (United Kingdom)
Project Afterbirth (United Kingdom)
Prams in the Hall (United Kingdom)
Project!! WAKAKA! (United Kingdom)
Raising Films (online)
Residency in Motherhood (online)
ARCHIVED: CRITICAL PARENTING ARTIST HISTORY/HERSTORY
Colloquy: Parenthood in the Art World (panel, MOCA Los Angeles)
Enemies of Good Art (United Kingdom)
The Feminist Art Project's CAA Day of Panels: Motherhood (panel, Chicago, IL* VIDEO)
The Hackney Flashers (collective, United Kingdom)
The Last Art Taboo, National Textile Society Symposium (lecture, Washington, DC * VIDEO)
How to Be an Artist and a Parent? (Boston)
Making it What We Need (workshop, Chicago, IL)
Mapping the Maternal Colloquim and Events (colloquium, Alberta, Canada)
On Motherhood, Apple Pie, and Being an Artist, Mira Schor and Susan Bee eds,
M/E/A/N/I/N/N/G #12
The Mothernists II: Who Cares for the Future? (Denmark)
The MotherArt Collective (collective events, Los Angeles)
Motherhood: A Social Practice, A Social Picnic (event, Portland, OR)
Motherhood and Creative Practice Conference (conference, United Kingdom)
The Mothernists (conference, Netherlands * with VIDEO)
Mums and Babies Ensemble (United Kingdom)
Juicebox Music and Performance Series (Chicago)
Life's Soundtrack
Literary Mama
LowJam Music Series (Chicago)
Wah-wah, shh, chomp, munch, nom, burp, poot, slurp, yum, toot, mwah. But who's holding the baby?
The wild (survival) guide of an artist-parent (workshop, AIR Gallery, New York)
ProCreativity 101: Making Art, Making Babies (panel, The Hungry Brain, Chicago, IL)
Taking Custody: The Double Life of the Artist Mother (panel, School of Visual Arts, NY* with VIDEO)
Tracers Takes on Feminism: Motherhood (panel, Threewalls, Chicago *with VIDEO)
EXHIBITIONS (listed chronologically)
Self-Adjacent, Visual Arts Center, VA; Massey Klein Gallery, NY; Kennedy Museum, OH, 2024Acts of Creation: On Art and Motherhood, Arnolfini, Bristol, UK, 2024
Designing Motherhood: Things that Make and Break our Births, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle 2021-24
Picturing Motherhood Now, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2021-22
Making it Work: Art & Parenting, Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, KS, 2022
Always On: Art and Motherhood, SOIL Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2021
The Camille Diaries: New Positions on M/otherhood, Life, & Care, Art Laboratory Berlin, 2020
Firsts and Starts, Roman Susan Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2018
Re:Production, Goleb, Amsterdam, 2017
A Room of Our Own, Istanbul, Turkey, 2017
The Let Down Reflex, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Canada 2017; EFA Project Space, NY, 2016
Not Knowing, Heaven Gallery, Chicago, IL 60640
Repeat Pressure Until, Ortega y Gasset Projects, Brooklyn, NY, 2016
New Maternalisms Redux, FAB Gallery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, 2016
特別展 (Mother), Gallery Fu, Yokohama, Japan, 2016
Artist Residency in Parenthood, 107 Projects, Sydney, Australia, 2016
Mother of the Year, Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, Austria, 2015-16
Mommy, Yale Union, Portland, Oregon, USA, 2015
Project Afterbirth, White Moose Gallery, Barnstaple, UK, 2015
The Great Mother, Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milan, Italy, 2015
Division of Labor, Glass Curtain Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA, 2014-15
PostPartum Party, Rhombus Space, Brooklyn, NY, USA, 2014
Home Truths, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL, USA 2014;
The Foundling Museum and The Photographer's Gallery, London, UK, 2013-2014
Complicated Labors, UCSC Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery, CA, USA, 2014
New Maternalisms, FADO, Toronto, Canada, 2012
Broodwork: It's About Time, Otis Ben Malz Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA 2011
Separation Anxiety, Wignall Museum, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA, 2010
Mothers, WomanMade Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA, 2010
Maternal Metaphors I and II, RoCo, Rochester, NY, 2004 and OU Art Galleries, OH, USA, 2006
AUDIO, FILM AND VIDEO
First Day Back (podcast)
The Longest Shortest Time (podcast)
Lost in Living (documentary film)
Mother Friday (radio show)
Motherhood in the Art World (documentary film)
Pratfalls of Parenting (podcast)
Who Does She Think She Is? (documentary film)
RESIDENCY PROGRAMS SUPPORTING ARTIST-PARENTS
Be sure to read the fine print: program lengths can vary greatly. Some charge a fee while others offer artist stipends; some are highly competitive while others are more open. Please get in touch if you have residencies to add to this list!
Note: The Sustainable Arts Foundation has now made possible a diverse range of artist-parent opportunities at great programs throughout the US, including varied family residency formats as well as financial aid to cover childcare expenses for artists looking to pursue a residency away from parental time. Check out the annual lists of Residencies for Parenting Artists Funded by the Sustainable Arts Foundation.
RESIDENCIES IN THE USA
Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program (NM, year-long residency, families welcome)Franconia Sculpture Park (MN, sculpture specific family residency in July, kids arts camp included)
I-Park Foundation (CT)
Brooklyn Arts Exchange (NY City, parent grant for choreographers, theater / performance artists)
Women's Studio Workshop (NY, parent grant for book/paper/printmakers)
CollarWorks (NY, childcare included)
SPACE on Ryder Farm (NY)
Interlude Residency (NY)
The Wassaic Artist Residency (NY)
Gallery Aferro (NJ)
Headlands Center for the Arts (CA) Kala Art Institute (CA)
18th Street Center (CA)
StayHome Gallery and Residency (TN)
Spiro Arts (UT)
Caldera (OR)
Elsewhere Studios (CO)
Acadia National Park Artist Residency (ME)
Marble House (VT, children's programs included)
Millay Colony, Funded 'Virtual Residency' (VT + Multiple Locations)
The Luminary (MO)
Penland Resident Artist Program (NC)
McColl Center (NC)
Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown (MA)
Popps Packing (MI)
Island Hill House Residency Program (MI, for musicians and writers)
Spread Art (MI)
Tin House (OR, writing scholarship for single parents)
Sibyls Shrine (PA, for black mother artists in the Pittsburgh area)
Prarieside Outpost (KS)
Hyde Park Arts Center (IL)
INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCIES
Artist Residency in Motherhood (self-directed program you can participate in anywhere)Residency for Artists on Hiatus (self-directed program you can participate in anywhere)
Franz Masereel Centrum (Belgium)
Ballinglen Art Foundation (Ireland)
Malakta Art Factory (Finland)Akademie Schloss Solitude (Germany)
Takt Kunstprojektraum (Germany)
ZK/U Berlin (Germany)
Mothers in Arts (Netherlands)
Mothra (Canada)
Nordic Artists' Centre Dale (Norway)
Instituto Volusiano (Brazil)
Center for Research and Creativity Casamarles (Spain)
Can Serrat (Spain)
Cow House /Mothership Parenting Artist Residency (Ireland, 2023 +?)
MOTHRA (Canada)
Green Olive Arts (Morocco)
Wschodnia Residency (Poland)
Japan US Friendship Commission (Japan/USA)
Fulbright Scholars program (Multiple Locations)
Tenjin-yama Art Studio (Japan)
Red Gate Residency - (China)
Bamboo Curtain Residency (Taiwan)
Neu Kirche (exchange between women artists in Pittsburgh, USA and New Zealand)
For a more comprehensive (and non-family-specific) list of residencies visit:
Alliance of Artist Communities - database you can search for family-supportive programs.ResArtis
Trans Artists
Rate My Artist Residency
