Writing

What am I to you?

mothermakersblog
Laura trying to swop the lil one for a Jorge Manilla brooch
Laura trying to swop the lil one for a Jorge Manilla brooch

By Laura Bradshaw-Heap

 

I visited Munich Jewellery Week last year with a friend and colleague. We both brought our babies and were excited to introduce our ‘schmuckbabies’ to our jewellery world. I have had an exhibition of one sort or another at this fringe-style festival all but one year since 2011 and was happy to be able to visit as a tourist and not have to constantly promote an exhibition. While I knew that we would be viewed differently as a result of our procreation (the year before we had both attended sporting swollen bellies) the majority of our experiences were positive. However one conversation still haunts me. Greatly paraphrasing, it went something like this:

 

Exhibitor: so what do you do?

Me: oh, hum… now that is a good question… well… where do I start …

Exhibitor: … well I am sure you are busy being a mom!

Me: ….. ummm…..

 

Now, anyone who knows me will understand why I paused at being asked what I do. I am a jeweller with an anthropology Masters; a maker who rarely makes objects but rather focuses on social experiences; I have curated, written, exhibited and have a strong interest in collaborative, co-created projects. And yes, I now add “mother” to this list of roles – but this addition does not cancel the others out.

This woman’s assumption grated on me, irritated me and offended me. I had made it all the way out to her not so easy to find obscure exhibition, somewhat off the beaten track, which was part of a largely hidden jewellery event in a country over 1200 km from my home.

With a nine month old baby.

On my own.

That’s a lot of effort for someone “just” busy being mom.

For this last year I have kicked myself that I did not contest her assumption and defend my professionalism. Why had I not stood up for myself – my professional self – more strongly? But it also reminded me how in the past, pre-motherhood, when parents, often mothers, had come to visit the exhibitions I ran I too had not even considered to ask them if they were professionals in my field. I saw the children and nothing else. These little creatures are as effective as Harry Potter’s invisibility clock; the parents (and let’s be honest, more often the mothers) behind them seem to melt away and cease to exist beyond this one singular role.

This year as Munich Jewellery Week rapidly approaches I know that this will not be an issue this time.  I, in my usual manner, reacted against this sense of invisibility and, seeking to make myself visible, agreed to run, be in and organise three exhibitions. This is the most I have worked on at any one time to date. And all while looking after my toddler. Am I insane? A little I think – yes. Can I do it, hell yes. I am mother, I am maker and I am here.

 

Published by mothermakersblog

Mother Makers is a network for exchange and dialogue for mothers trying to find their way back into their art/design practice after having children. Mother Makers actively examines the process of art production as a mother with the aim of developing strategies and creating opportunities that are tailored specifically towards the needs of the maker-mother. It is a support system for creating work that embraces the limitations of childcare at it’s core. By seeking visibility it is our intention to reclaim a space within our discipline, as well as in the wider arts for mothers like ourselves. We are mothers who make. We make and care with equal commitment, drive and energy. We aim to make visible and challenge prevailing attitudes towards motherhood and creativity through active engagement within our discipline of jewellery and design. Often motherhood has been seen as the antithesis of the production of worthy art. We reject this outdated mode of thinking and propose the presence of motherhood as an essential part of women’s work being valued accurately. About the founders: Laura Bradshaw-Heap (UK) is a freelance curator, arts practitioner and ethnographer and mother. She has a MSc in social and cultural anthropology from University College London and an MA in design from London Metropolitan University. Bradshaw-Heap is most interested in projects that are research based and involve turning the audience into active participants in some way. Her methods are drawn from across disciplines. Her research interests include the making economy, performativity, aesthetics, the politics of voice, feminist studies and participatory art. Laurie Schram’s (NL) often satirical work revolves around themes of a socio-political nature and status through objects. A relationship between the fictional and the non-fictional has been an important theme. Schram graduated from the Royal College of Art with work mainly focused on altering existing currencies and creating new ones by combining countries and rewriting narratives. She went on to build a fictional jewellery factory as Schram&Sandhu focussing on collaborative work as well as writing and recently having a child.

1 thought on “What am I to you?”

Leave a comment