New art exhibition explores experiences of mother artists

Laura Smith
Thu, 05 Nov 2020 01:29:27 +0000
Arts & Life, Events, Fine Arts, Gallery, Instagram Page, News, 934 gallery, art, art exhibition, artist, exhibition, female, female artists, gallery, MAW, mother artists, Mother Artists at Work, mothers, ohio state, ohio state university, osu, Shade

“Much Needed Quilt” by Kristen Marra Marek on display as a part of the “Shade” exhibition at the 934 Gallery. Credit: Courtesy of 934 Gallery

A new group art exhibition at 934 Gallery is exploring the works from artists society often overlooks.??

The exhibition, “Shade,” is presented by Mother Artists at Work, a networking and support group founded in 2005 for mothers working in the Columbus arts, according to the 934 Gallery website. “Shade” aims to evoke the idea of female and mother artists being “in the shade” or not being in the spotlight, Alissa Head, a founding member of MAW, said. The exhibition, which will be on display starting Friday, is not meant to be entirely negative, as shade can also be a nurturing sentiment, Head said.

“Mothers are often in the shade and women are often in the shade of the art world, along with maybe throwing a little shade,” Kristen Marra Marek, a member of MAW, said.

The type of art on display varies immensely, ranging from plush dolls and fiber art to oil paintings and cyanotypes, which are similar to blueprints and transfer drawings onto a blue sheet of photosensitive film, Marek said.

The exhibition features art from 10 artists, all current or former members of MAW. Marek said the art was not made specifically to fit the title. Instead of having its members try to work within a specific theme, MAW collects the art its members are working on and groups them under a general idea, Catherine Bell Smith, a member of MAW, said.

All the pieces being shown in the exhibition can be connected to the idea of motherhood in that they were all made by mothers, Head said.

“If you think about mother artists working behind the scenes, and you walk into the gallery or the virtual space, and you think of it as being a place of shade or behind the scenes, not a place in the spotlight, I think that will help you frame the artwork,” Head said.

In the past, Marek said MAW would host art shows that displayed work made by their children. However, in recent years, as the children of the group members have grown up, membership recruitment has declined, causing a change in the group’s dynamic. Marek said the group still needs support from fellow members, but MAW now means something different than it used to.

Smith said “Shade” will be a different exhibition from previous shows because the artists will not be able to receive the feedback they usually get from those viewing their art in person, and they have yet to see each other’s art.

“I think we’re creating kind of within our own spaces a lot more,” Smith said.

Despite the difficulty, Head said there is the hope that people who wouldn’t have otherwise been able to see the exhibition will now get that chance since “Shade” is also available to view virtually.

“Shade” will be on display Friday through Nov. 21 at 934 Gallery, located at 934 Cleveland Ave. The exhibition will be available for limited, in-person viewing, as well as virtually on the gallery’s website. All art in the exhibition will be available for purchase.