How to avoid the exclusion of mothers and carers working in the arts and how to support their professional development?
In 2022, British journalist and art critic Hettie Judah’s book How Not to Exclude Artist Mothers (and other parents) was published. The publication shows how the paradigm of the artist-mother (and other parents) is changing from one that has historically excluded combining a career in the art world with caring responsibilities, to the increasingly common need to function in both worlds and to fulfil the role of a practising artist on an equal footing with that of a parent.
Parents working in creative professions
The working conditions of parents and carers the in culture and the arts sector are on the radar of the Warsaw Observatory of Culture. In 2023, we organised a networking meeting to map the situation of creatives who are also parents, and we piloted a home-based residency programme with a tutoring component – “Artist Mothers”.
In 2024, we carry out a survey that will enable us to learn more about the situation of freelance parents working in creative professions. In order to design successful systemic change, we first need to collect data and learn more about how to create an ecosystem that is parent-friendly and responsive to the real needs of parents and carers. We are interested in exploring how parents combine professional work in the arts with caring responsibilities, and how institutions can design their programmes, events or residencies to include elements of caring policies.
Process Manager: Anna Galas-Kosil
Collaborator: Magda Szpak
