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.
Artists include: Pitseolak Ashoona (Inuk, 1904–1983), James S. Baillie (United States, active 1838–1855), Judy Chicago (United States, b. 1939), Sue Coe (England, b. 1951), Ashley Czajkowski (United States, b. 1986), Francis de Erdely (United States, 1904–1959), Raoul Deal (United States, b. 1956), Louis Delsarte (United States, 1944–2020), Renée Dennison (Diné, b. 1963), Megan Driving Hawk (United States, b.1988), Albrecht Dürer (Germany, 1491–1528), Margaret Garcia (United States, b. 1951), R.C. Gorman (Diné, 1933–2005), Mildred Howard (United States, b. 1945), Sara Hubbs (United States, b. 1978), Victoria E.H. Huntley (United States, b. 1900–1971), Käthe Kollwitz (Germany, 1867–1945), John P. Leeper (United States, 1909–1989), Adriana Lestido (Argentina, b. 1955), Gabriela Muñoz (United States, b. Mexico 1980), José Clemente Orozco (Mexico, 1883–1949), Lisa Reinertson (United States, b. 1955), Margery Ryerson (United States, 1886–1989), Edwin Scheier (United States, 1910–2008), Forrest Solis (United States, b. 1979), Roxanne Swentzell (Santa Clara Tewa, b.1962), Akio Takamori (United States, 1950–2017), Dorothy Trujillo (Cochiti Pueblo, 1932–1999), Andy Warhol (United States, 1928–1987), June Wayne (United States, 1918–2011) and Russell Wray (United States, b. 1955).
“Notes on Motherhood” is organized by ASUAM Curator Brittany Corrales and is made possible by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with a Community of Practice composed of Briauna Jensen, UX Researcher; Julia Rodriguez, Communications Manager at First Things First; and Deborah Sussman, Associate Director of Strategic Communications and Media for the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
Ashley Czajkowski (United States, b. 1986), still from “Rites of Passage,” 2024. Video, color, sound; 13:47 min., Courtesy of the artist.
