May 2025 Group Show: Mother Made
Featured Artists: Bonnie Providence, Emily Mullet, Kayla Ackelson, Margaux McAllister, Juliana Laury, Lee Pohlsander, Maryanne Buschini
This May, Art Work Gallery + Meeting Space is featuring a group exhibition about motherhood. From expecting mothers to a grandmother, Mother Made brings together seven artists in various stages of motherhood. In this interview, we asked each mother to answer one question: How has motherhood influenced your art?”
Opening Reception: 5/2/25 from 5:00-9:00 PM
Location: Art Work Gallery | 213 Church Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460
Untitled | Bonnie Providence, Oil on Canvas
BP: I have only just started my motherhood journey -- I am expecting my first child along with the opening of this show and can barely imagine how much my life and practice will be influenced. As it is, this pregnancy has been a journey of its own and has completely shifted the gravity of my life - both literally and figuratively. I was halfway through preparing new work for a show themed around closing a chapter of my life filled with incredible change when I found out that I was only just scratching the surface of what change meant. With the news of starting a family of my own came a surrender of expectations for my life's path, as well as a surrender of my body and energy. And with the anticipation of meeting this life I've been growing has come excitement, inspiration, fear, and gratitude for how much I've been able to grow in myself before getting to this point.
Emily Mullet
emilymullet.com | @emilymullet
Disconnected | Emily Mullet, Mixed Media on Concrete, 12”x 16” and 6” x 12” (diptych), 2024
EM: As with most mothers, my time is quite limited. I cannot follow every inspiration and endlessly create as I once did. This has forced me to seriously analyze how, what, and why I create. Through this process of merging my artist self and my mother self, I have found myself asking, “What art do I want my daughter to be surrounded with?” and perhaps more importantly, “What art do I want my daughter to see her mother create?” These questions have helped to distill my ideas and focus my energy on what I value most.
Kayla Ackelson
kaylaackelson.com| @kaylaackelson
First of Many | Kayla Ackelson, Mixed Media, 24” x 36”
KA: Creating has taken on a new dimension since becoming a mother. This particular piece was born in a moment of deep connection, not only to my art but to my son. I painted while holding him in my arms, feeling the weight of his tiny body and the flow of his gentle breath against me. In that moment, I wasn’t just holding him physically, but I was also holding space for his growth and needs, as well as my own. The act of nurturing him mirrored the way I am learning to nurture my creative process. Every stroke of the brush feels more intentional as I balance the demands of motherhood with the pull of artistic expression. This painting carries both the tangible weight of my child in my arms and the emotional weight of learning to create while being present in a new role as a mother. The process became about more than just the art—it became a reflection of the duality of creating and caregiving, of holding and being held.
Margaux McAllister
margauxmcallister.com | @margaux.mcallister.art
Indigo Child | Margaux McAllister, Oil on Canvas, Tufted Yarn Frame, 2024
MM: My art practice has always been centered around processing the world around me. Becoming a mother provided a unique lens through which I could examine the relationships within my family as well as my identity as a mother. Motherhood added a layer of responsibility, commitment, and love to my identity that was never present before. It changed my relationship to art in terms of time, and what I make art about became more specific and more personal. Before becoming a mother, I could make art in my time off from working a job. After becoming a mother, I had to focus on taking care of a tiny human for most of my time. I was no longer working a job, and I would find moments in the day to create something personal. My work became about accepting what was in front of me, the important moments, and the confusion I was feeling as a new mother. Now I am a full-time artist/mother and my art continues to reflect the world and relationships around me through that unique lens.
Juliana Laury
julianalaury.com | @julianalauryart
The Things We Save | Juliana Laury
JL: Before I became a mother, my work was singular and linear. I worked, primarily, as a photographer.
Having children was the best thing that could have ever happened to me and my art. I am a more expansive and curious human being because of them. Since having children, I have entered into a myriad of new art forms that I never would have considered if my personal life hadn’t changed and my art practice pivoted from being something I did for others to something I did for myself. When I stopped taking photographs, I started picking up new mediums. I began writing poems in the notes section of my phone while rocking my babies to sleep. I turned to sculptural mediums such as encaustic and mold making, originally as an attempt to preserve my children’s bodies and the gifts they gave me on walks. Everything was an inspiration and everything became a tool- the scanner bed, knitting needles, silicone molds, vintage frames, and more. Now, my work is multi-disciplinary. It is ever-expanding- just as I am and just as my children are.
Lee Pohlsander
leepohlsander.com | @leep_artdesign
She Rises Through Ash To Greet the Sun | Lee Pohlsander, Acrylic, Pastel, Dry Pigment on Canvas, 36” x 60” , 2025
LP: In a strange way, becoming a parent has given me the freedom to think big and discover my artistic voice. When my kids were young, I saw myself as a designer, art and photo director, and creative director. By then, I’d spent years working in design and advertising, honing my skills.
When I moved to Phoenixville, my kids were in college and I had time to look around, get re-energized, and create for myself.
Things shifted when my youngest came back home post-college just before the pandemic. With a small house, two people working from home, and a young adult looking for a job, we needed some changes. Renting a studio was the right solution. I could continue to design, and create art without putting everything away each night.
I’m now a full-time artist, working in a studio that’s not in my house. My largest canvas so far is 36x60 inches, maybe I’ll go bigger!
Maryanne Buschini
maryannebuschini.com | @buschini_art
Maryanne Buschini | Oil on Canvas
MB: Drawing and painting have been my primary method of expression throughout life. I am fortunate that my mother drew with me, and we looked through family scrapbooks from previous generations. I moved on to art school in college and a career in art.
I married my high school sweetheart, went to several colleges as we moved around; worked as a graphic designer, and art teacher. We created our lives together, I focused on childcare when my two sons were small, had increasing time for my painting as they grew and went to school; this balance and unpredictability was something I struggled with. It fills my heart to see our sons find loving partners and fulfilling adult lives. We now include our bright and funny grandson in our family. John and I are celebrating a big anniversary this year.
For eight years, I have been able to focus on my painting and have a studio in Phoenixville. My painting practice consists of figurative oil paintings, influenced by photos, depicting friendships, romance, and family relationships, as well as the sad or awkward times. I reach back through the generations to a caring, supportive family of origin and into the family we created together, reflected in my art.
Visit Art Work Gallery to see the show!
Opening Reception: 5/2/25 from 5:00-9:00 PM
Location: Art Work Gallery | 213 Church Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460
