For too long, artists have been told that they cant have both motherhood and a successful career. In this polemical volume, critic and campaigner Hettie Judah argues that a paradigm shift is needed within the art world to take account of the needs of artist mothers (and other parents: artist fathers, parents who dont identify with the term mother, and parents in other sectors of the art world).
Drawing on interviews with artists internationally, the book highlights some of the success stories that offer models for the future, from alternative support networks and residency models, to studio complexes with onsite childcare, and galleries with family-friendly policies.
Some artists have described motherhood as providing them with renewed focus, a new direction in their work, and even inspiration for a complete change of career. Other artists choose to keep their domestic and creative lives compartmentalised. All are placed at a disadvantage by the art world as it is currently structured. This book argues that by making changes and becoming more sensitive to the needs of artist parents, the art world has much to gain.
Hettie Judah is an art critic and writer who has spent many years researching and campaigning on the subject of art and motherhood. Her recent books include Art London (2019), Frida Kahlo (2020) and Caroline Walker: Janet (2020).
Foreword; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The Culture; 2. Art School; 3. The Studio; 4. Residencies; 5. The Commercial Gallery; 6. Institutions; Conclusion: Love, Celebration and the Road Ahead; Notes; Further Resources; Index
‘Judah’s important book examines the current climate of discrimination against parents who are also artists and points to the impediments of motherhood as symptomatic of wilder societal ills. She makes a valid point in her conclusion, arguing an art world that “does not include artist mothers fails to engage with life in full.”’ – Debra Brehmer, Hyperallergic
Hettie Judah’s How Not to Exclude Artist Mothers and Other Parents is a manifesto for change at every level, from art schools to studios to institutions and beyond. – Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, The Guardian
While our recent Covid-confinements have pushed questions of access to the fore in cultural institutions, the art world makes little allowance for artists and other art workers raising young children. Hettie Judahs book is informed by lived experience and years of considered engagement with artists who are also mothers. It is a call for action for arts institutions, and commissioners, and a blueprint for what solidarity could look like for practitioners. – Hammad Nasar, Curator, strategic advisor, and Senior Research Fellow, Paul Mellon Centre
A no-nonsense and much-needed roadmap to inclusion. Hetties words will have pride of place on my bookshelf next to How We Do Both: Art and Motherhood, which was my guide a decade ago to navigating the arts as a working mother with a baby. I know this text will do the same for mothers today and those of us in the sector who aim to do right by them. - Zoé Whitley, Director, Chisenhale Gallery, London
As institutions strive to be more inclusive for all, Hettie Judah’s vital advocacy for artist mothers is an essential wake-up call for change. - Priyesh Mistry, Associate Curator, National Gallery, London
Hettie Judah is the absolute authority on the question of how to create inclusive spaces for artist mothers. A must-read for us all. - Eleanor Nairne, Curator, Barbican
This book should be read by everyone - not just artist parents. It gives a great insight into how artists juggle careers and parenthood within an industry that has not yet progressed to accommodate both. I really appreciate how Hettie Judah not only gives examples of where institutes and artists are going wrong but also provides a solution. I love how solution-focused this book is and wish I had read it before I became a parent so it could help me navigate an art world that has not yet caught up with the reality of being a woman, mother and artist. - Artist Rana Begum
