At the beginning of 2023, artist and writer Mirthe Berentsen wrote in Metropolis M, a Dutch contemporary arts magazine: "Within the arts, we can enter into endless panel discussions, create productions and exhibitions, publish books and articles on the many and various forms of care and their relative importance. But, as long as we exclude the ultimate form of long-term care—parenting—from these considerations, no real development and progress are possible."

This idea gave rise to the symposium: '(m)otherhood in the arts', a collaboration between Mirthe Berentsen and Flemish Arts Centre de Brakke Grond. A symposium with the goal of discussing and highlighting the urgency of the issue of parenting and other forms of care as a theme within the arts. Going beyond symbolic gestures and aimed at active engagement within the social infrastructure of the arts. In discussions with policymakers, researchers, institutions, artists and makers, the symposium sought perspectives for action and answers to the question: 'How can the arts sector provide care and make it possible to combine parenting with being an artist?'

The symposium, packed with lectures, panels, performances and workshops on art and care, was led by moderator, creator and program-maker Teddy Tops. Together with the 200 attendees, she went in search of ways of creating a more inclusive arts sector. The organizers made free childcare available during the symposium. This put into practice a recurrent wish from parents, and a recommendation to the funds and institutions: freeing up budget for childcare. The symposium was bilingual, with a morning program in Dutch and an afternoon program in English. During lunch, attendees further discussed, networked, and engaged with one another while taking advantage of an opportunity to visit the ‘(m)otherhood in the arts’ book selection from the San Serriffe bookstore. The program for the whole day can be seen here.

A detailed report on the day is given below for anyone interested who was unable to attend the symposium, as well as for attendees wishing to refresh their memories.

Co-curators of the symposium Mirthe Berentsen (writer, artist and policy adviser) and Lisa Wiegel (artistic director at de Brakke Grond) opened the day. Wiegel commented on the clear desire within the artistic community to exchange knowledge on the subject of care. Parenthood is still overlooked within the sector, but is gaining ground little by little within the discourse. An important objective of the symposium is therefore to bring together the existing, fragmented, knowledge on the subject and to formulate joint responsibilities. Exchange between the Flemish and Dutch arts sectors can play an important role in this. Initiatives, research and support providers from Flanders offer a significant source of knowledge and inspiration for the Dutch field. 

Berentsen discussed key points of the symposium, bringing attention to the fact that care tasks are not socially valued as work and that the arts sector is not geared towards the needs of people providing care. Berentsen also noted that the word 'mother' would be used often during the symposium. In her research, she noted that a great deal of value is attached to the word mother, not only because the mother figure has huge (and highly charged) cultural, political and historical significance, but also because the use of the more neutral term ‘parent’ obscures the gender gap that exists within care, and eliminates centuries of unpaid work by and exclusion of women. Others consider it important that the more neutral term parent is used, and believe that continuing to see parenting as a women’s issue maintains inequality between men and women. Berentsen also launched her new English-language podcast 'between art and family'. In this podcast, she speaks with writers, artists and activists (including Hettie Judah, Camille Henrot and Sophie Lewis) about ideals ranging from care to parenting and from art to feminism. In addition, her first book will be published by publishers Das Mag at the end of 2024, investigating the politicization of the family and the importance of imagination. The aim of this collective work—podcast, book and symposium—is principally to offer new possibilities to make care a permanent component of the infrastructure of the arts.

Maxime van Haeren (researcher and editor at the Boekman Foundation) and Hannah Sweering (independent researcher, writer and political economist) provided, on behalf of the Boekman Foundation, a first look at the results of the study ‘Vrouwelijke beeldend kunstenaars in Nederland: arbeidsmarktpositie, carrièreverloop, representatie’ (‘Female Visual Artists in the Netherlands: position on the employment market, career progression, representation’), commissioned by the Niemeijer Fund. The full findings of the research were published on 28 March 2024). You can read these here (in Dutch)

Van Haeren explained that the research serves as a representative baseline of the position of female, autonomous visual artists in the Netherlands, utilizing both existing information and new research. Through quantitative and qualitative methods, the study focuses in on the employment market position, career progression, and representation of the group being researched.

Van Haeren shared some key findings:

• Women have a lower average income than men, but this income difference is smaller than in other creative professions. (Note: the average income for visual artists is significantly lower than in other creative occupations).
• 71 percent of fine arts alumni are women, compared to only a slight majority (54 percent) in the employment market.

The Central Bureau of Statistics figures provide little insight into the impact of parenthood, which requires further investigation.

Sweering then explained that it can be demonstrated in practice that female visual artists have a disadvantaged position compared to their male counterparts in terms of representation. The extent of this disadvantage requires further investigation at multiple levels (museum, gallery, art fair). Sweering also discussed the lack of available figures regarding the exact representation of women in museums and galleries, due to the lack of representative statistics that allow for broader statements at the national level. Sweering further emphasized that such an important task should not be left to individual organizations—such as Mama Cash, Metropolis M or WOMEN Inc.—to measure, as no individual organization has the necessary resources. Rather, umbrella organizations (such as the Museumverenging for museums and the Netherlands galleries association Nederlandse Galerie Associatie for galleries) should take on this responsibility, as befits their size and scope. There is also a significant responsibility on individual museums to measure this gender data. Sweering notes that these institutions have shown an increased willingness to monitor this information in recent years; however, there is also a need for guidelines and collaboration at national level. The Boekman Foundation believes that umbrella organizations can play an important role in this, particularly in the streamlining of measurement methods.

The first panel discussion - featuring Ciska Hoet, Nixie Van Laere, Lucette ter Borg, Anne Breure, and Maxime van Haeren - focused on mapping and discussing systemic problems facing professionals providing care in the arts sector. This topic is often addressed ‘front of house’ (in productions, exhibitions, debates and publications), but often remains invisible within the infrastructure of institutions. In this conversation, representatives from (support) organizations shared and discussed knowledge and solutions related to this issue.

Ciska Hoet is a culture journalist and director of RoSa, a Brussels-based knowledge centre for gender and feminism. According to Hoet, the transition from research and data to structural change begins with a shift in mentality within society, both at the individual and organizational levels. Creating a child-friendly sector starts with providing flexibility and solidarity, for example regarding expectations about evening availability. She also emphasized the need for a broader perspective on how caregiving responsibilities are distributed and introduced the concept of the 'chain of care.' This concept describes how caregiving responsibilities are transferred from one household to another, forming chains. According to Hoet, the current chain of care lacks solidarity; within these chains, we must also take good care of those to whom we delegate caregiving tasks as well as caring in a responsible manner for those working in childcare, elderly care and healthcare.

Nixie Van Laere works as a visual artist and advisor for Kunstenpunt, an expertise centre for professional arts in Flanders and Brussels. There, she is collaborating with NICC on a project focusing on parenthood in the arts, working with artists who are parents, especially mothers, to explore how the sector can provide better support. During these discussions, Van Laere has learned that wellbeing and care are essential but often overlooked elements in the sustainable development of careers in the art world. The research indicates a lack of attention to the transformation experienced by parents, even though, for instance, the time fragmentation parents experience can also positively impact their artistic practice. Van Laere noted a significant need for the exchange of knowledge and experiences. This research project resulted in a publication with concrete tools that institutions can immediately implement to create a more caring visual arts sector with sustainable careers. Have a look at the advice text, tools and tips on this page. The text was compiled by NICC and Kunstenpunt, based on input from the 'Living as an artist' working group, with the aim of making the art sector more child- and parent-friendly.

During her keynote speech, prominent British writer, curator and critic Hettie Judah spoke about her extensive research on art, care and parenthood. She highlighted three projects in which she has thoroughly explored this subject.

1 . Essay - 'Representation of Female Artists in Britain During 2019'

Judah was gripped by the topic of artist mothers when she realized that not everything, such as the impact of starting a family, becomes visible in data. For this reason, in 2019, Judah put out a call on Instagram asking for the experiences of mothers in the art world. This led to the creation of her essay for the Freelands Foundation. During the keynote lecture, Judah shared a series of experiences from the more than 50 artists she spoke with for this research. Experiences included curators/institutions breaking contracts when an artist becomes pregnant, taboos surrounding pregnant bodies, scrutiny of women's bodies in art, and a lack of support among women, based upon an attitude of, ‘If I can do it, why can't you?’ According to Judah, these shared experiences indicate that there is not only a gender pay gap but also a care gap between men and women. She recommended the audience read a recent survey by The Economist titled ‘How motherhood hurts careers’.

2. Manifesto - 'How not to exclude artist parents: some guidelines for institutions and residencies'

In 2021, along with a group of artists, Judah wrote this manifesto advocating a more flexible arts sector that accommodates people who do not fit within the norm (non-caregiving, white male). Judah emphasized that diversity involves enabling a diverse flow of experiences, parenthood being one such experience. The manifesto delves into existing research and makes proposals for more inclusive models. The ten points derived from this manifesto can be found at: artist-parents.com.

In addition to the ten points from the manifesto, during her keynote Judah also shared a selection of other exclusion mechanisms that exist within the arts sector. She noted the existence of biases around certain media, such as handicrafts and textiles, and topics, such as motherhood. Alongside this lack of conceptual space for mothers, Judah also noted the physical absence of lactation spaces. She shared a UNICEF report describing what a breastfeeding room should include, highlighting the fact that both art schools and art institutions are still lacking in this regard.

3. National network - Art Working Parents Alliance (AWP)

Judah is also a founding member of the Art Working Parents Alliance (AWP), a nationwide British network for working parents in the arts sector. The network serves various purposes: as a social network for people with young children, as a platform for advice and expertise, and as a campaign group dedicated to making the art world a better place for parents to work in. Through this network, Judah hopes to address the broader art world regarding the lack of care, but more importantly, she aims to connect artist parents with one another. During her lecture she stated that, “As parents in the art world, we are often invisible to one another, making it difficult to consider the lack of care as a structural problem.”

Judah posed several concluding questions. She questioned why this symposium did not take place in a major museum or a commercial gallery. She asked the audience: “How do we break the conversation out of the bubble and ensure the involvement of fathers from the art world? How do we act as an alliance and harness collective power without adhering to hierarchy?”

The second panel discussion, with Joke de Wolf, Sachli Gholamalizad, Lara Khaldi, Jonas Ohlsson, Magnus Monfeldt, and Hettie Judah, moderated by Mirthe Berentsen, focused on finding shared responsibilities. The panel explored how we can restructure the institutions and the communities in which we live in such a way that these align better with caregiving responsibilities, as well as what steps are necessary to create such an environment. How can the art world facilitate care following a period of absence (due to caregiving responsibilities, pregnancy, or illness)?

Sachli Gholamalizad, theatre-maker, musician and actor, presented a poetic text on the relations between different generations of women and her grappling with intergenerational traumas. Migration plays a significant role in this – the lack of a natural community and the physical distance from the country of her birth contribute to a feeling of isolation and alienation. She expressed her fear that her daughter will not feel any connection to her motherland, while at the same time always being treated as different in her current environment. Gholamalizad draws strength from her fears. She advocates embracing the contradictions motherhood involves and the freedom to form her own identity amidst all the expectations and images projected on her.

Visual artist duo Jonas Ohlsson and Magnus Monfeldt showed a film clip from their installation ‘Gathering Moss’. This is part of a long-term collaboration around fatherhood and making art. In the central film of the installation, various life questions and ways of thinking concerning parenthood and the definition masculinity are examined. In broadening their own perspectives and lending additional concrete power to their project, they were inspired by the work of many female writers – from bell hooks to Maggie Nelson and Naomi Klein.

Joke de Wolf is an art historian who writes about visual arts. Her upcoming book (autumn 2024), titled ‘Het Moedermodel’ (‘The Mother Model’) delves into the interaction between visual art, artists, and the mold of motherhood from 1900 to the present. In this book, she discusses the urgent need for a new language for care and responsibility.

Following the second panel discussion, attendees engaged in various breakout sessions focused on the various themes raised during the day. The aim of these workshops, performances and discussions was to give participants space to share experiences and form the basis of a network.

During the symposium, it became clear that the panels, lectures and discussions that exposed structural exclusion stirred up a great deal of emotion in people in the audience. The sudden realization that a bad experience is part of a bigger pattern of structural exclusion and sexism can be hard-hitting, but also in a way a relief or liberation – you are not alone. There is a need for a safe space in which people can share experiences, forge new connections and perhaps remain in contact with others in order to draw strength from shared experiences.

From multiple distinct perspectives within the arts field, participants explored new methods and practical tools for a sustainable and equitable arts sector. The attendees were encouraged to think about a solution-oriented approach, so that they could feel stronger about implementing change, instead of being burdened by difficulties.

• In the workshop with Lara Khaldi and Basma al-Sharif, authors of the book ‘Why Call it Labor? On Motherhood and Art Work’, participants reflected on the precariousness of art and parenthood. Collecting personal anecdotes of exclusion and inhospitality, they aimed to find concrete perspectives for action towards a more inclusive sector.

• Artists Jonas Ohlsson and Magnus Monfeldt took participants on an intuitive journey into imagination in a drawing workshop for fathers (mothers were also welcome), accompanied by tunes from DJ Lonely.

• In the workshop led by artist and researcher Weronika Zielińska-Klein, participants, based on their personal experiences as parents or caregivers, searched for short-term and long-term solutions for the lack of care in the sector that can be implemented in their immediate work environment, organizations, networks and/or institutions.

Weronika works on an ongoing diagram of recourses on mother-artist initiatives, collectives and networks. Have a look here.

• Specially for the symposium, artist Richtje Reinsma developed her work ‘Huidwandeling’, from an experience for one person to one for several people. The participants lie on woolen blankets and sheepskins for half an hour with a weighted pillow on their stomachs and a blindfold, while listening to a narrative excursion that leads them back to the womb: the place where every body starts and becomes wrapped in its own skin.