Extended Self: Transformations & Connections

Kanter McCormick Gallery

Extended Self: Transformations and Connections features artwork by a diverse group of artists at various stages of art-making and parenting. All works included in the show reveal the physical engagement of the body of the artist as a mother – in metaphor, form, process, image, data or motion. This is a unifying yet divergent premise, allowing for a diversity of work and of artists. Work in the show is grouped in intimate “conversations,” illuminating the importance of having other artist mother role models, and of building a community to support each other through the challenges of parenting and maintaining a creative practice.  

In the center of the exhibition space is the Resource Library and Reading Room – an interactive place for parents and children to gather and connect with each other. This visible, accessible and nurturing space allows families to play, rest, feed, and explore mother artist-made books and zines. Also represented here are artist-run initiatives from all over the world that have sprung up to meet the social, professional and practical needs of artist mothers. This Reading Room will serve as a meeting place for various family-friendly programming throughout the exhibition, emphasizing the need for social support structures and role models in the life of an artist mother. 

Through the exhibition, Resource Library and Reading Room, and family-friendly programming, “Extended Self: Transformations and Connections” highlights the importance of representation and visibility of artists who mothers in the art world, and to view their experiences as vital to meaningful art production. 

Artists whose work is featured in the exhibition include: Tanya Aguiñiga, Wisdom Baty, Andrea Chung, Karen Dana, Sabba Elahi, Noelle Garcia, Megan Hildebrandt, Jessica Labatte, Emily Lindskoog, Bobbi Meir, Jessica Mueller, Irene Perez, Kaitlynn Redell, Tracy Marie Taylor, Selina Trepp, and Marie Watt 

Artists whose publications and projects are featured in the Resource Library and Reading Room include: Rachel Epp Buller, Christa Donner, Sarah Irvin, Keiler Roberts, Raina Martens, Corrie Thompson, Hui-MIn Tsen, and more! 

Free and family-friendly programming accompanies this exhibition, including: opening night performances, artist-led stroller tours, artist mother meet-ups, family art-making workshops and other special events. Visit the website for dates and full descriptions.  

October 12, 2019 – January 19, 2020

About Extended Practice

Extended Practice (EP) is an artist-led collaborative project by Sara Holwerda and Angela Lopez created to support and make visible the work and needs of artist mothers. EP celebrates and supports artist mothers by creating childcare-supported professional practice workshops, accessible exhibitions and community-building opportunities.

Holwerda and Lopez are artists, curators and mothers living and working in Chicago. Through their work as EP, they have won the DCASE Individual Artist Project Grant, have been interviewed on Other People’s Pixels and have maintained a vibrant social media network with an international reach since 2017. They have organized exhibitions, screenings and events at venues across the city, including at: Roman Susan, Experimental Station, Nightingale Cinema, Chicago Family Picnic, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Kanter McCormick Gallery