Calling All Artist-Mothers

I found out recently that I am one of the recipients of the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) Creativity Grant. I had applied for the grant to make my two-part project possible:

• My two-month self-directed residency An Artist Residency in Motherhood. (See previous post.)
• A four-month mentorship program Artist at Work: Cultivating the Creative Spirit, which I will offer to five artists who are also mothers. The grant will make it possible for these artists to participate in this program for free.

Here's the official invite:

*Calling all artist-mothers for an opportunity to participate in a four-month mentorship program Artist at Work: Cultivating the Creative Spirit with Priya Vadhyar. The program, part of a project initiated by Vadhyar, is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council. The mentorship program is at no cost to artists. Seats are limited to five participants.

The Artist at Work Program (Artist-Mother Edition) is a response to the pandemic, which has been a challenging time for caregivers in general, and mothers in particular. Existing cultural norms, inadequate institutional support, and other uncertainties brought on by the pandemic have further exacerbated the situation. The mentorship program hopes to help artist-mothers with their studio practice, provide a supportive environment, and add to the dialogue surrounding the work of artist-mothers.*

ABOUT ARTIST AT WORK:

Artist at Work: Cultivating the Creative Spirit is a four-month online program created by Priya Vadhyar for visual artists who have a studio practice that they would like to deepen in a supportive environment. The program focuses on studio work to help artists enhance their work processes and bring clarity and coherence to their work. Artists working on a new or an ongoing project/ body of work stand to gain from this program. Over the course of the program the group will discuss the creative process, seek inspiration from artists and makers through history and discuss elements of a studio practice. Through the program, participants will consider their work with a renewed perspective, create personal goals (for the duration of the program and beyond), review their progress, and discuss their wins and challenges.  

Program Features:

• The program includes group and one-on-one sessions held via Zoom.
• The Artist at Work Program is designed for a small group, and is limited to five participants. The aim is encourage dialogue between participants and personalized attention.
• The program includes a guest speaker session. The guest is invited to talk about her studio practice and answering questions from the group.

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Artist at Work Program Details: 

Dates: March 18 - June 30 2022

Group Sessions: Fridays, March 18, April 15, May 13, June 17, 6.30 - 9.30pm

One-on-one Sessions: TBD

Program Fee: $0

• Program capacity: FIVE participants
• Seats will be filled on a first come first served basis.
• Preference given to artist-mothers from Maryland.
• One seat reserved for an artist who identifies as BIPOC.
• All sessions are held via Zoom.

To enroll, 

Email studio.lineofsight[at]gmail[dot]com with subject line: Artist at Work Sign up

Last date for enrollment: March 10, 2022

QUESTIONS? Email Priya at studio.lineofsight[at]gmail[dot]com

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The Artist at Work Program (Artist-Mother Edition) is part of a project initiated by artist Priya Vadhyar. The project is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council, which will make it possible to offer the mentorship program to participants at no cost to participants. 

An Artist Residency in Motherhood, Winter 2022

It has been almost two years since the pandemic began. When I look back at photographs from 2020, it seems like a lifetime ago. My son was two years old then. Now he is four, a vastly different stage in his life. So much has happened in these two years, and yet everything seems to have paused. It feels reductive to say that it’s been a rough two years being a parent and an artist; it’s been rough for everyone in one way or another. I am blurry-eyed, tired to the bone, and frayed at the edges. But I’ve also been transformed for the better by the time I’ve spent with my child.

My work has felt the impact of the pandemic. For the first few months, my studio practice was at a standstill. I was between studios and exhausted by the long days. I then got the keys to the studio, but it took a while to gain access and move all my things. Everything took more time than usual, and long gaps between work sessions emerged before my eyes. By the spring of 2021, it was clear that I had to adapt to the situation. It seemed impossible to consider working at night after a full day with my son, not to mention that I was also exhibiting and teaching regularly, and doing all the ancillary work that artists do. All I wanted to do was throw a blanket over myself. But I made a start and began working in the studio four nights a week. These night shifts in the studio have now become something I look forward to, no matter how much I manage to do.

A few months ago, I began working on a new body of work called ‘A Wedge of Darkness.’ The title comes from Virginia Woolf’s ‘To the Lighthouse.’ This collection builds on the work I have been doing for many years. It’s been in the works for a while, but I began articulating my thoughts only recently. Given the fragmented nature of my studio practice, I have decided to do a two-month long self-directed residency. Unlike a regular residency I will be working in my studio given all the current uncertainties of the pandemic. I will be doing this residency under the auspices of ‘An Artist Residency in Motherhood,’ created by Lenka Clayton. The ARiM aims to be “…a self-directed, open-source artist residency to empower and inspire artists who are also mothers.” This residency seems apt given the circumstances. I am looking forward to this residency even though uncertainty looms. I hope this to be an opportunity to inhabit a different state of mind after almost two years of being in a state of flux. Will this residency spark new connections and forge the way ahead? I hope it will.