It was an absolute pleasure to host our first live panel and record this conversation with you! In August of this year I met up with 3 incredible artists and mothers, Vivian Liddell, Mandy Rogers Horton, and Jodi Hays at the Red Arrow Gallery in Nashville, TN. We set up a table right in the gallery, surrounded by the paintings from Jodi Hays’ solo show, Tend. I asked these women questions about their painting and parenting practices, and learned how they cultivate, care for, and try to best manage the complicated and beautiful identities they carry as Artists and Mothers.
Inspired by the title of the show, I based the questions around this idea of “tending”. Vivian, Mandy and Jodi took me back to their childhood and shared what responsibilities were (or were not) placed on them as children and how it influenced their care-taking practices. They each shared eloquently about the path to naming oneself a “capital A- Artist”, and what it was like to step into that title and share it with their families. We dialogue about the complexity of being a woman and mother artist, how the implicit bias against parents in the art world leaves us wondering if its best to mask our full identities when we present work or share about our art online.
They each talk about their abilities, or lack thereof, to navigate chaos and perfectionism. They share about the ways they try to care for themselves as painters and parents, giving us a practical look into the every day balancing act they experience as they care for their children, teach or work, and spend time in the studio.
I know you’ll be inspired and encouraged as you hear this conversation with these three women. They are brilliant and insightful and shared with an open heart about their experience navigating motherhood and art-making. I appreciate their time and willingness to spend a Saturday morning with me and am so grateful to the Red Arrow Gallery and director Katie Shaw for hosting us!
Connect with all of these artists on their websites and IG:
Vivian Liddell http://www.vivianliddell.com
Mandy Rogers Horton http://www.mandyrogershorton.com @m.rogershorton
Jodi Hays http://www.jodihays.com @jodihaysstudio
Vivian Liddell also has a great podcast where she interviews women on art and the south. Check out Peachy Keen podcast!
See more about all the great things the Red Arrow Gallery is up to on IG @theredarrowgallery
The Artist/Mother podcast is created and hosted by Kaylan Buteyn. You can see more of Kaylan’s work on her website or connect with her on instagram @kaylanbuteyn
