Mothering Spaces
Mothering Spaces (est. 2023) is a platform that aims to foster collaboration between artists, health researchers, and the public to explore themes of motherhood and female health through dialogue and artistic practices.
Mothering Spaces commissioned it's first exhibition titled Maybe I'm being dramatic by Lauren Hamilton at GalleryX in Dublin, 2–6 April 2024. This was supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
From 2023 - 2024, Mothering Spaces created an online initiative where artists shared their projects through this platform once a month via Instagram. Whether it was current projects, works in progress, or potential research areas, the aim was to create an online space in which artists working with themes of maternity, women’s health, female anatomy, reproductive experiences, social issues and more could share their practice. Artists includes: Ana Maisonave (Madrid), Malin Westermann (Norway), Jennifer Trouton (Northern Ireland), Emma O'Brien (Ireland), Jill Skulina (Scotland), Shweta Bist (USA), Katherine Nolan (Ireland), Jialin Long (Ireland).
In 2025, Mothering Space worked with Belfast artist-curator Emma Quin to host it's first workshop exploring female health, collective care, and alternative support systems. Through conversation and collaboration, we reflected on how artists can sustain themselves and one another, imagining new models of care and creative community. Supported by Cavan Arts Office.
Future projects include:
Exhibition with Cork based visual artist Nicola Sheehan at Backwater Artists Group, (Nov 2026)
Exhibition with Uzbekistan National Pavilion 2026 artist Zulfiya Spowart in Cavan (2027)
Call for expressions of interest — Mothering Spaces Research 2025
We are conducting research to build a platform where opportunities will be shared with creatives working with, but not limited to, themes around female health issues and motherhood. Our goal is to create a supportive network of artists to collaborate with, and to discuss these sensitive topics. If you are experiencing these issues, but don’t explore them in your practice, Mothering Spaces is also a space for you to connect with other creatives and share your experiences.
Starting in 2025, we are planning to facilitate: Artist Talks, Group discussions, Workshops, Exhibitions.
