About Mother Makers:
While becoming a mother is for most a private thing, for some the conflict between our public lives as makers and private lives as mothers cannot be separated; be it due to a lack of childcare, support systems, time, space, or any other reason.
We should not have to chose between family or career.
By actively examining the process of art production as a mother, Mother Makers aims to develop strategies and create opportunities that are tailored specifically towards the needs of those maker-mothers in need of additional support.
Mother Makers believes that women should get the support they need throughout motherhood to enable them to continue creating.
By seeking visibility for those who feel pushed to the peripheries, for whatever reason, through the creation of projects and collaborations, it is our intention to reclaim a space within art and design, as well as in the wider arts for mothers like ourselves.
Incorporating children into a makers practice
With your help we plan to:
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Showcase mother makers internationally. Central to Mother Makers is collaboration. It is our plan to bring a selection of mother makers to Munich Jewellery Week 2018. We have secured a venue with the help of Munich Aritsts which is right in the city centre at Odeonsplatz and very soon we will launch a callout for participants. This curated exhibition will showcase a wide selection of work from mothers that focus on this life transforming experience, demonstrating that procreation does not mean the end of one's career, or inspiration.
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Develop and add content to our website. To provide more support, advice and examples of best practice for maker-mums online, enabling other mothers to work through our research, to network and to establish a presence within art and design as valid professionals.
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Develop and explore best practices in combined studio and childcare formats We are aware that many mothers often feel isolated and struggle to find support systems to enable them to have dedicated time in the studio. We aim to research and test combined studio and childcare formats to provide a blueprint to others who are struggling to find ways to create while caring for their children.
How will we use the money we receive?
We have set a target of €7000 for this campaign. This money will be spend on these specific funding requirements:
- Our travel and accommodation (babies and all) to Munich, exhibition and display costs.
- To go towards the costs of managing and organising a curated group exhibition in Munich.
- To enable us to continue to develop content for the Mother Makers website as well as to promote Mother Makers projects in the build up to and during Munich Jewellery Week.
- Help towards Mother Makers first planned trial of a combined studio and childcare residency between Laura and Laurie planned for February 2018. We have been donated a space to work in and free accommodation and just need a little funding towards the costs of travel for this.
- The cost of the production of all the perks/ rewards.
The Mother Makers making plans for the future
What we have acheived to date:
- We have been working really hard and have achieved a lot so far without any funding.
- We have secured a venue in Munich for a Mother Makers curated exhibition during Munich Jewellery Week.
- We have already begun to work with artist mothers. We have developed a website which features many interviews, advice and tips.
- We have begun to explore different studio and residency options that will enable mothers to work while still caring for their child/ren.
We have been so lucky so far and have had many wonderful people gift us their time, talents and equipment to the project.
If you can donate any of your time and skills to the project, do let us know –
We always welcome help in whatever form!
Spread the word
How to help us:
We have been working hard to find ways to make it as easy as we can for you to either donate to our campaign or purchase our perks.
All the perks can be purchased via this Indiegogo campaign using their Stripe card sytem.
If for any reason your unable to pay via the Indiegogo Stripe card system we can now also offer a paypal service.
You can place orders for any of the perks you see here or send donations directly via paypal using the email: mothermakersarehere[at]gmail.com, or you can visit our shop at BigCartel which for the duration of the campaign will feature five of our most popular perks.
ALL items bought via our shop and all donations made via paypal WILL appear on this Indiegogo campaign.
The Perks:
In exchange for your funding donations we have a huge range of perks we are incredibly excited about. We have been working hard to provide a range of perks to match any budget.
We have just added a brand new perk;
The Designers supporting Designers tote bag.
This pure cotton bag is printed on one side in a bright red. What more do you need?
M
The Mother Maker Pins
We are expanding our pin range to introduce new colours.
The blue and gold Mother Makers pin:
The white and gold Mother Makers pin:
The Pink and gold Mother Maker pin:
Examples of the blue and gold pin
The Mother Makers mentoring package:
For mothers trying to fit the time to think, make and develop a practice around the daily trials and tribulations of caring for children, this can sometimes feel like an impossible challenge. We recognise this challenge and offer a mentorship package to help you through this.
The mentorship is tailored to each artist's specific needs and will consist of some writen work and a skype meeting. If you are seeking to prepare to start back to work after a break, seeking ways to set aims and achieve goals or working towards a specific project, this mentoring package could be for you.
Every person who purchases the mentoring package will also get their choice of Mother Maker apron (retail value for €28) making this package really great value.
The Mother Makers Apron:
Our new apron range for the Jeweller Mother Maker (jewellery / objects / humans) are only available as part of our mentorship package. It comes in green or red on a natural coloured apron. These beautiful aprons come with pockets, because as a mother maker you can never have too many pockets!
Not a jeweller but still want a Mother Maker apron?
Don’t despair, EXCLUSIVELY to this crowdfunding campaign we are offering you the chance to design your own. Available in either font colour, just tell us which words you want and we will do the rest! (Please note, currently this option is for the apron without pockets. If you require one with pockets please contact us separately and we will see if we can help).
As part of Laurie's artist residency in motherhood, she began to document just one of the multiple mini obsessions that grip us in early motherhood through a dedicated instagram page and a pantone colour chart. The results are these:
The Mother Maker Pantone Poop Colour Chart Poster:
Laurie Schram has developed the 'Waiting for Poop' pantone poop colour chart (A2), charting her journey through two months of breastfeeding and nappy changing.
The Pantone Poop Colour Mug:
EXCLUSIVE to this campaign we are offering a pantone poop cup (in a choice of five shades).
Individual pieces of work from our mother makers:
Not only do we have a number of Mother Maker products for sale, a number of our fantastic Mother Makers have offered some truly exquisite items of jewellery for sale:
Julie Usel's earrings 'Buccellatissimi' are from the collection 'La Route de la Soie' are made from silk, gold leaf and gold pendants (7cm x 4cm x 2mm).
Earrings
Detail of earrings
Viktoria Münzker's brooch 'Elysia Crispata' (2013) is made of driftwood, Alpacca, granules, glass, stone and lacquer. 12.5 x 8.5 x 2.5 cm
Front of brooch
Back of brooch
Souraya Karami of Esska Shoes is offering her Esska watch, in rose gold with a navy leather strap, with a 36mm watch face.
Laurie Schram is offering one of her coins (2012):
The Schram grows in value as the artist herself does as a commodity. Supporting Mother Makers will increase the chances of this currency gaining in value again.
Materials: Bronze.
Beth Legg is offering a pair of her Stacks earrings, made from sterling silver and 22t gold leaf they are based on the spectacular sea stacks of Duncansby Head on the far north-east coast of Scotland.
Laura Bradshaw-Heap is offering up to five necklaces from 'The Repetition of Motherhood' project. Made from paint, ink, thread and pasta.
Risks & Challenges:
Every single cent raised will go straight into the development of Mother Maker’s future projects, so please give generously. While we have set a goal of €7000 the more we can raise, the more we can do.
The single biggest hurdle is maintaining our rhythm of output no matter what life brings over these next few months.
With funding, we can insure that we can both maintain dedicated time during the week enabling us to give the project the time and energy the project requires.
We will also continue to find ways to continue to work during the rest of the week while caring for our children.
We have succeeded so much to date and know, with the right support – your support – we will achieve our goals.
How to help:
All the perks can be purchased via this Indiegogo campaign using their Stripe card sytem.
If for any reason your unable to pay via the Indiegogo Stripe card system we can now also offer a paypal service.
You can place orders for any of the perks you see here or send donations directly via paypal using the email: mothermakersarehere[at]gmail.com, or you can visit our shop at BigCartel which for the duration of the campaign will feature five of our most popular perks.
ALL items bought via our shop and all donations made via paypal WILL appear on this Indiegogo campaign.
Other Ways You Can Help:
We of course understand that not everyone can contribute, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help!
If you have any ideas for future collaborations, have skills you wish to share with us, or if you know of any inspiring mother makers who we should interview through our 5 questions section on our blog, please do contact us.
And please share this campaign and shout about this campaign through social media. The more people to see it the more chances we have in reaching our target.
And don't forget to link with us!
Founders Bio’s
Laurie Schram’s (NL) often satirical work revolves around themes of a socio-political nature and status through objects. A relationship between the fictional and the non-fictional has been an important theme. Schram graduated from the Royal College of Art, London with work mainly focused on altering existing currencies and creating new ones by combining countries and rewriting narratives. She went on to build a fictional jewellery factory as Schram&Sandhu, focussing on collaborative work as well as writing and recently having a child.
Laura Bradshaw-Heap (UK/IRE) is a freelance curator, arts practitioner, ethnographer and mother. She has a Master in social and cultural anthropology from University College London and a Master in design from London Metropolitan University. Bradshaw-Heap is most interested in projects that are research based and involve turning the audience into active participants in some way. Her methods are drawn from across disciplines. Previous projects include 'JUNK: rubbish to gold' co-created with Prof. Jivan Astfalck and Rachel Darbourne; 'Suspended in Pink' and 'Suspended in Green' - two touring, curated group exhibitions. Her research interests include the making economy, performativity, aesthetics, the politics of voice, feminist studies and participatory art.