This episode takes us back to listen to an amazing panel conversation I had with two artists from the inaugural exhibition of the new University Art Museum at New Mexico State University (NMSU), Labor: Motherhood & Art in 2020 (listen to co-curator Marisa Sage talk about the exhibition in Episode 55 here). Joey Fauerso is artist and professor in the School of Art and Design at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, whose work spans painting, video installation, and performance. Jessica Jackson Hutchins, an artist from Chicago, Illinois, currently based in Portland, Oregon, specializes in large-scale ceramics, multimedia installation, and assemblage, all of which utilize found objects.
We cover a lot of ground in this dynamic conversation, from the role of personal narrative in art to disruptions and fissures. We discuss media of choice and how each mobilizes different (but carefully curated) objects in new ways, work/life blur and the active choice to erode some of those distinctions, and how to embrace the flexible, constantly changing boundaries between us, our children, and our creative practices.
We contemplate the varied and mutable roles of our children in our lives and practices, including debates with them about what constitutes art and their presence in the studio or our work at large. We tackle the big questions and problems facing artist/mothers today like accessible healthcare, childcare, the looming threat of unpaid labor, ongoing prejudice against mothers in the art world, and the difficulty of doing residencies as an artist/mother (as well as what some programs are doing to change that and our “ideal world” demands).
We discuss the necessity of exhibitions such as this that make space and opportunity for conversations like these and historically invisible labor. As Joey reminds us, motherhood is a primary human experience — and as Jessica says, art is essential. Through being artist/mothers, we find not only joy and resilience but also growth.
You can see more of Joey’s work on her website. See more of Jessica’s work through her gallery site or on IG @jessicatchins
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
