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Artist Moms

Motherhood Becomes Fine Art In This Incredible Exhibition

Written by Erin Feher

Photography by Apsáalooke Feminist #2, Wallpaper, by Wendy Red Star, 2016

Telling us that motherhood is vital, creative, and mind-expanding work is a little like preaching to the choir. But as any woman working in the art world can tell you, motherhood has rarely been taken seriously as the subject of fine art, and in fact, female artists have long been advised to delay having children, or simply skip it all together if they hoped to be taken seriously as an artist. But the brand new University Art Museum (UAM) at New Mexico State University (NMSU) radically challenges that notion with Labor: Motherhood & Art in 2020. The stunning show opens on February 28, 2020 and confronts and challenges historic and contemporary ways mothers and mothering have been represented in both art and popular culture. It is the inaugural exhibition of the new institution, and its curators hope it sets the museum on a committed path to featuring significant works by leading female, LGBTQ, and other underrepresented artists. We spoke to co-curator Marisa Sage about everything from birthing a brand new museum to why mothers have long been discriminated against in the arts, and so much more. Read our full interview and get a first look at some of the exquisite, though-provoking artworks in the exhibition by clicking through the slideshow below.

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