Mothers’ Days
Book / 388 pages / published by An Artist Residency in Motherhood, 2020 / see below for full credits
A free, full 388 page .pdf of Mothers’ Days is available by clicking here.
Members of An Artist Residency in Motherhood were invited to simultaneously record the events of the July 15th, 2019, in as much or as little detail as they chose. The book shares accounts of the same single day from 81 people in 19 countries—all artists and mothers to children from six weeks to 33 years old.
An Artist Residency in Motherhood was born out of a feeling of invisibility that I felt as a parent, and that I heard others experienced too. Though parenthood is an ongoing dance of tasks and experiences and near-constant engagement, I'd often find myself at the end of the day thinking I had done nothing all day. Mothers' Days is a 388 page document of what happens when nothing happens.
“The 15th of July 2019—was the day the roadworks outside the house began, was the day the baby was due, was the day of six vomits, was the day she drove home in socks, was the day her father went into a coma, was the day the big leaf on the houseplant unfurled, was the day the residency began, was the day she was stung by a bee, was the day she finally saw the ferry come in, was the day the chickens got out, was the day of the TV audition, was the day of the meeting with the divorce lawyer, was the day the letter from the police arrived, was the day his tooth fell out, was the day she found out she got the grant, was the day she suddenly realized her baby was now a toddler—was a normal Monday.”
Introduction to Mothers’ Days, Lenka Clayton
“7:32 Husband bathes 2-year-old. I start to clean up the toys but get distracted by a thought that I must write down before it is swept away like a message written in the sand.”
Candace Jane Opper, Mothers’ Days
“16:05 Daughter and I play and make the contact we both need. We laugh and hug and I feel the love washing over me. This moment. I wonder if our days would have more of them if I didn’t have so much to do. A partner and a supportive granny doesn’t seem realistic so I wish for a cleaner.”
Laurie Schram, Mothers’ Days
Mothers’ Days / design Brett Yasko / photo Phillip Andrew Lewis / a project by Lenka Clayton / published by An Artist Residency in Motherhood / texts by Agnieszka, Aldrete, Guadalupe, Anonymous, Hannah Baker Saltmarsh, Amy Beeston, Araidia Blackburn, Elena Blythe, Brittany Bond, Joanna Bond, Bonnie, Susan Bradley Smith, Luisa Callegari, Catherine, Joie Chan, Mya Cluff, Danka, Jessica Delfino, Sarah Dolan, Jen Donnery, Magdalena Edwards, Stephanie Edwards, Grace, Meagan Grant, Jelena Grujičić, Ariel Hall, Nicole Haroutunian, Heather, Helen, Corrie Hosking, Rachel Johnston, Janie Julien-Fort, Sarah Kain Gutowski, Katie, Rachel Kerwin, Jessica Kneipp, Lauren, Robyn LeRoy-Evans, Lisa, Lisa, Jennifer Long, Patti Maciesz, Rachel Maggart, Taylor Mardis Katz, Chloë Marsden, Jennifer McCandless, Rachel McDonnell, Sara McNeilly Ammon, Amanda Mehl West, Rachel Moodie, Jessica Mueller, Dr. Emily O’Hara, Candace Jane Opper, Jenny Pritchett, Ramona, Georgina Reskala, Rita, Sofía Roncero, Rosalie, Sally, Sarah, Hanna Schaer, Carly Schmitt, Laurie Schram, Bérénice Staiger, Donna Szoke, Alyson Thomas, Corrie Thompson, Jenny Weir, Caprice White, Amanda Wood, Shiori Yajima / published on the occasion of the exhibition Labor: Motherhood & Art in 2020, University Art Museum at New Mexico State University, co-curated by Marisa Sage and Laurel Nakadate / thank-you to the generous donors whose support made this publication possible; Seth Ammerman, Pen Callan, Catharine Clark, Sarah Urist Green and John Green, The Anna Jarvis Society of Wet Nurses, Wanda Kownacki, Cliff Leventhal, Kathleen Irvin Loughlin, Nion McEvoy, Veronica Roberts, Susan Weiss, Judy Willcott and Laurence Miller, Francis H. Williams, Carlie Wilmans, and Gary Wiss.
Thank-you Catharine Clark, Anton Stuebner and the staff at Catharine Clark Gallery, Erin Anderson, Davey Clayton, Jane Clayton, Ammu & Rama Devasthali, Jasmine Herrera, Phillip Andrew Lewis, Evan Mirapaul, Jennifer Nagle Myers, Veronica Roberts, Jon Rubin, Marisa Sage, and Brett Yasko.