VISIBLE & VALUED Mothers and motherhood(s)5 are part of a bigger story “I put in an application for a show about loss and the feedback was that it would alienate women who didn’t want to have children.” “It is frustrating that there is a feeling that “motherhood” is not a worthy theme for exploration – a sense that is has been done.” •
Acknowledge that there are not enough stories about motherhood in the public domain. There is a lack of authentic voices and contemporary perspectives on the experience of loneliness, isolation, loss, joy and the transformation of identity in motherhood.
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Ask the questions of your board/staff – who are the people making decisions about funding and programming the stories we want to tell?
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Find out how many events in the last 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 2 years, 5 years have featured motherhood(s) as content and how many of these have been created, produced and presented by mothers in partnership with your organisation?
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Invite mothers to program events and curate seasons so that cultural content reflects our ever changing, multifaceted, contemporary experiences. Consult with a diverse range of mothers to make participation in the arts accessible and relevant for mothers and their children.
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Champion returning – whether this be returning after having children or another extended absence, give your existing mother-talent reasons to return.
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Employ positive discrimination – create initiatives that enable mothers to make work for example: Creative development programs with a childcare provision and/or a child friendly environment where mothers can bring their kids with them – offer choice! Program a season of Motherhood(s) where the multiplicities of Motherhood(s) are featured and authored by mother artists. For example, the Actors Centre London has programmed A Season of Motherhoods which offers funding and support for mother artists to develop and present new work. See Suggestions for more examples of organisations worldwide who are already implementing this strategy.
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Motherhood(s). Motherhood exists in terms of multiplicities. Historically, society has conflated the role of womanhood with motherhood. Using the term motherhood(s) disentangles these socially solidified preconceptions. Source: London Actors Centre, 2019.
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