“For the holiday season, curators Desiree Mwalimu and Olaronke Akinmowo – Black Spider Arts, are debuting their groundbreaking exhibit Excavating Motherhood.

“In today’s society, we are consistently confronted with representations of motherhood. The title of ‘mother’ in America carries the expectations of a people rooted in the experiences and traditions of many cultures. As contemporary media delivers the daily scoop on celebrity ‘mothers-gone wrong’, the role of mother is thrown into the spotlight, reflecting our own narratives back to us. This holiday season, Black Spider Arts presents Excavating Motherhood, a visual arts and multimedia exhibition that debut the works of over fifteen female artists of color, at the Brooklyn Artists Gym (BAG) in the Park Slope/Gowanus area of Brooklyn. This exhibition unearths images of motherhood from the perspectives of women of color, offering visual recollections which range from the sacred to the secular. Excavating Motherhood offers a collection of distinct voices which praise, parody, satirize, and ultimately challenge the forces which sanction the term ‘mother’.

“This season, as we celebrate the contributions of our families, Black Spider Arts pays homage to the mother. “We feel it is important for women, especially women of color, to deconstruct the role of the mother and the varying concepts of motherhood that we inherit, adapt to or rebel against. In this exhibit we challenge artists to creatively explore the varying cultural concepts of motherhood using various form of expression,” states Ola Akinmowo.

“Excavating Motherhood is an exploration of the journey as it relates to each individual and/or collective experience. The show includes new work from painter Marcia Jones, as well as old favorites from the ‘SHE’ era, along with sculptural works by Jennifer Lui and Roshani Thakore. Photographers Alicia Neal and Carla Weber debut a powerful collection of black-and-white photographs followed by selected paintings and drawings from a number of emerging global and national artists. ‘Women from around the world approach this role differently and have various cultural definitions. That is why we have selected an international cast of women whose images leave a lasting impression on the psyche,’ states Desiree Mwalimu. “