Mothering in the City Textile sessions

A Space Where You can both be yourself and a mother 

Textiles have always been an art form largely attributed to womanhood. From fairytales to folklore around the world, women came together and created textile work that not only provided protection but also defined and defied identity, and materialized the aesthetics and spirits of the time. Women, among them many mothers in different stages of their motherhood, created a tribe while making textiles, to support each other, raise the young together, share knowledge, and provide a listening ear. It's in such a community that women can be mothers and themselves; they can care and create at the same time.

In our textile sessions for mothers, we aim to recreate such a community to mend the separation of selves in the modern labor market, where mothers must pretend to be childless in order to be productive, or a mother must forgo the need to create, otherwise they might risk being called selfish. Mothers are welcome to bring their children along to the session, and a sitter will be present to give an extra hand. Older children are encouraged to keep an eye on the younger ones, and participants will take turns to watch over each other's children. All materials, including some snacks, will be provided; yet bringing things to share is always welcome.

We will start each session with a sharing circle, participants will take turns to briefly talk about their week, share the highlights and low points of motherhood. Such a sharing circle is crucial to reclaim a mother's sense of self and honor her daily act of mothering. In the session, you can work on your personal piece or on the collective one. The basis of the textile work we are applying in the sessions is inspired by a textile art, arpillera. Originating from Chile, arpillera has a long history and rich tradition of its own, and its storytelling focus inspired us to create textile art that is connected to our mothering experience.

While some of us might have more experience, there is no hierarchy of instructors and students. We are all there to learn from each other. Not only do we love to learn all textile techniques and traditions that our participants bring in, but the participants are also encouraged to share their own specific talents, and facilitate other aspects of our sessions, such as writing, music, singing, movements, etc.

In June, we will organize an exhibition to showcase our results thus far.

Time: every Tuesday 10:00-13:00
Location: Erich Salomonstraat 432