“In life and in motherhood, balance might be elusive,” artist Emily Jalinsky said. “But feeling grounded and joyful, I think, has increased for me because I’m a mother.”
Jalinsky was one of 17 artists featured at Public Space One’s latest exhibition, “Elusive Balance.” This exhibit contained multimedia artworks ranging from glazed earthenware to crochet pieces dipped in wax.
“Elusive Balance” was an art show centered around balancing a person’s identity as an artist with their role as a mother. The exhibit featured artworks from members of The Iowa Artist/ Mother group.
Founded in 2021, The Iowa Artist/Mother group is constantly growing, and they offered sign-up sheets at PS1’s door for any interested artist mothers to join.
“[The artists] are pretty inspiring to me because it’s hard to find time to make art as a mother, and there are so many different ways to find inspiration and synthesize that into whatever you want,” attendee Theresa Fross said.
Emphasizing the themes of the art show, PS1 provided art activities for the artists’ and visitors’ children on the lawn. While their children played, the artists took time for themselves to describe their work at the reception inside.
“My studio is my own space. It is my sacred space,” Jalinsky said.
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Jalinsky, artist and curator of the exhibit, talked about her own featured artwork, “Ever Finding Her Resilience II.”
Jalinsky has a sleep disorder that causes her to feel exhausted, which inspired an exhausted figure in her artwork. This multimedia artwork consisted of children’s book pages, embroidery, and tea bags painted with watercolors.
The central figure is an exhausted woman, seeming to carry the weight of the sun on her head and back. She seems to tower over a forest yet also protects it from harm.
“She is beyond exhausted. But I hope that she is also giving groundedness and life and joy because that’s what I’m experiencing right now,” Jalinsky said.
Many of the artworks showcased the multiple responsibilities of motherhood, specifically “Be Right Back,” by artist Ramona Muse Lambert. A two-canvased artwork, “Be Right Back” features a mother figure surrounded by her children as well as her various obligations, including paying bills, buying groceries, and taking time to work on her art. The piece seemed to radiate the exhaustion the mother was feeling, mirroring Jalinsky’s piece.
Attendee Lauren Ross related to the idea of balancing various obligations while also being a present parent for her three kids. Ross’ oldest daughter was in attendance with her and asking questions about the pieces.
“I feel like there’s also sort of a time crunch. [My daughter’s] only going to be little for so long, so trying to savor that time and then just keep everything else afloat,” Ross said.
Although many of the artists have young children, artist Alicia Wilkinson is a mother of a 21-year-old.
“She’s been out of the house for a few years now, and I don’t think I’ve fully grieved her being grown up,” Wilkinson said.
For her piece “Known & Loved,” Wilkinson utilized objects from her daughter’s childhood to create a nostalgic collage. It featured her daughter’s hand-drawn childhood artworks as well as repurposed objects such as the cap of an EOS lip balm and an empty bubble wand.
“I knew for a long time I wanted to mix some objects within the painting, not just for the sake of the object, but because there’s a deep meaning behind [it],” Wilkinson said.
The Iowa Artist/Mother Group strives to foster a community with shared experiences through artwork.
“I think that being a part of communities is really vital, and I love that I can help build up this artist community and help give a platform to other women who are doing the work and have chosen to do both motherhood and artwork,” Jalinsky said.