Earlier this month I had two artworks in the exhibit Co/lateral, curated by Jody McDonald, a part of Art Pawn in Manhattan. The exhibit included artwork collected by Jody and new artwork by the same artists. Jody used tape to situate the artwork as if it were in a home. I really love how the show looked and I’m happy I got to attend both the opening and the closing receptions!

Getting to the opening reception was a bit stressful for me because I originally planned to attend with my family (my husband and our 15-mo. old). Even though it is very easy for me to get to midtown Manhattan, it is a bit more complicated when you are transporting a sculpture and a baby. Even with two adults it felt stressful and when my husband started feeling sick we decided that he should just stay home with our baby and I should go alone. I ended up getting lunch with a friend and another friend joined me at the opening, so it actually was wonderful to be solo. However, I felt a lot of mom guilt for: trying to go as a family in the first place and leaving my family at home. For the closing reception, we were able to get a baby sitter. My husband and I had a nice date night together seeing art and having dinner.

I really hope to get over this mom guilt because it is not fun. I think the reality of being an artist and a mother is that we need to rely on other people to help us care for our children so that we can continue to do our work. Making work, sharing work, and chatting with other artists and art lovers is all part of being an artist. It takes time, attention, and both hands. When our baby was smaller, I would just wear her or she would sleep in her stroller at openings or when viewing artwork. Now she wants to run around, with my hand holding hers. I love it, but I also need time to focus on my work. I’m learning over here.

About Co/lateral:

Playing off the premise of ART PAWN’s fictitious pawn shop theme, the exhibit Co/lateral is an invitational show featuring selected artworks from curator Jody MacDonald’s personal collection (“used” works) alongside “new” works (available for purchase) from these same artists. MacDonald has worked over three decades, within a limited budget, to build a collection of whimsical and challenging work. This exhibit features nine talented emerging artists collected by MacDonald within the past nine years. Chosen for their skill, irreverence, and wit, Co/lateral introduces novice collectors to art that delights, art that disturbs, and art that manages to do both simultaneously. 

Artists: Ann Cofta (Queens, NY), Maria Dimanshtein (Chicago, IL), Stephanie Eche (Brooklyn, NY), Tzaddi Gordon (Sechelt, BC), Peter Gynd (Houston, TX/qathet, BC), June Kosloff (aka jkosart, New York, NY), Maria Yolanda Liebana (Queens, NY), James Seffens (New York, NY), Nadina Tandy (Gibsons, BC).

Photos below by Jody McDonald: