Toward a “Utopian” Care Economy
Exhibition dates: March 24-May 12, 2024
Opening Reception: March 24, 3-5pm
Open Hours: Friday-Sunday, 12-4pm or by appointment
336 Third St, Brooklyn
Curated by Katherine Gressel of the Old Stone House and Shweta Bist, Kim Hopson and Jocelyn Russell of the Mother Creatrix Collective
This group exhibition at The Old Stone House in partnership with the Mother Creatrix Collective (MCC) addresses the needs and wants of caregivers. Exhibiting artists consider such questions as, What would comprise a “Utopian” society that better recognizes and supports both caregiving and art-making? What role can artists play? The exhibition includes the six members of MCC who were invited to respond to these prompts, plus ten additional artists whose work addresses these themes from diverse perspectives in all media, including original site-specific and public art. Mama Needs a Raise! builds upon both MCC’s previous shows about the unique challenges (and strengths) of artist mothers, and OSH’s ongoing Brooklyn Utopias series that invites artists to envision ideal communities. It is distinguished by its focus on improving conditions for people with diverse caregiving needs. In a country with few supports for families (or, increasingly, for family-building) and even fewer for artists with families, the title Mama Needs a Raise! suggests not only the need to adequately compensate caregivers, but the need to raise their perceived value, visibility and collective voice.
Taja Lindley will be debuting two new works in this group exhibition: a performance film adaptation of her live performance ritual "Pump & Feed" and Invoice # 001 - the first in a forthcoming series of conceptual invoice archival prints. Both works address the labor of Black women breastfeeding – past and present – and are part of her Black Women’s Dept. of Labor project and podcast.
During Black Maternal Health Week, Taja will be offering a free virtual program about her new works. Click here to learn more.
The show includes work that unpacks the myriad forms of unpaid “invisible” or “emotional labor” that parents face at all life stages, including their relationship to such factors as race, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status and disability. Other artists propose both real and imagined “Utopian” alternatives, from collective childcare to paid leave to an art world that actually welcomes parents. The majority of exhibiting artists are either spearheading or collaborating with concrete efforts toward community and advocacy for caregivers, and include in their work specific calls to action and creative platforms for visitors to document and share their own thoughts and experiences.
