Mothers, Eggshells, and the People Who Birth Us
Curated by Kim Abeles

Mothers, Eggshells, and the People Who Birth Us is a presentation of visual art, spoken word, performance, and media that tackles the more challenging relationships we have with our mothers. Even if we don’t necessarily know a biological parent, there will be other people who birthed our essential selves.

Later in life, if our mothers are still kicking, we face the physical obstacle of caring for her, keeping her safe, whether at home or a retirement community. If a mother passes early or nears a century, she eventually represents our own mortality.

We tend to simplify our relationships with mothers, often referring back to an incident or series of effects that hang on the shoulder like a yoke. As adults, we imagine a chance to reframe a new portrait with warm and fuzzy edges.

As an extension of the exhibition theme, the curator invited 50 artists ranging in age from ten years to nine decades to be part of a collective installation entitled, Mother – Portraits in Petri Dishes. Flint glass petri dishes serve as viewing containers to express a portrayal of the mother-figure who influences each path with complex connections forged in the past. Together, we might observe a multi-dimensional impression rather than hiding out in our memories.