CHANDLER, Ariz. – “M | otherworlds” is a group exhibition featuring regional Arizona artists who are also mothers. The work in the show centers on the transitional space of new parenthood during the first years of postpartum, also referred to as matrescence, or mother-becoming.
This exhibition opens on March 22 and will be on view through June 7 at the Vision Gallery.
The notion of transformation is echoed in the title of the exhibition. “M | otherworlds” references a surreal and unfamiliar experience. “M | otherworlds” is also about creation, the creation of a new reality, the creation of a new self. Themes of identity, caretaking and imaginative world building weave throughout the works in this exhibition.
About the inspiration behind the exhibition, curator Ashley Czajkowski says, “As a new parent, I found the transition into motherhood and the postpartum period to be more challenging, surprising, but also rewarding, than I expected. And while all mothers experience a great identity shift during this time, I believe it is even more profound for women artists whose creative practices and identity as artists often directly conflict with the expectations and notions of motherhood. I want this exhibition to speak to these experiences and highlight mother voices that are so often unheard in the artworld.”
Join the Vision Gallery for the following public program related to the exhibition:
Opening Reception
Friday, March 21, 6-8 p.m.
RSVP on Eventbrite
Vision Gallery is located at 10 E. Chicago St. Hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Closed Sunday. Free admission.
Find more information on exhibitions at Vision Gallery or call 480-782-2695.
Media contact:
Jillian Nakornthap
Exhibits Curator
480-782-2882
Vision Gallery and Chandler Center for the Arts Gallery
The Vision Gallery, and its sister gallery at the Chandler Center for the Arts, are fine arts galleries exhibiting more than 300 regional artists and housing to two Art-O-Mats in Chandler. Visitors can discover a varied palette of original artworks from oil and acrylic canvasses to ceramic works, sculpture, jewelry, and more. Exhibits are rotated on a regular basis and are free for the public to view at this nonprofit gallery supported by the Chandler Cultural Foundation. A portion of all art sales are used to fund the Vision Kids program, a series of education workshops offered to the community free of charge. Both galleries are regularly featured in articles and other media at the local and state level. Find more at Vision Gallery.
About Ashley Czajkowski
Ashley Czajkowski is an image-based artist and educator working in a number of interdisciplinary methods. Driven by curiosity, her research explores social constructions related to femininity, the maternal, mortality and the psychological manifestation of and the human-animal. Though situated in photography, Czajkowski's practice also incorporates video, performance, installation, and alternative print processes, pushing the expected boundaries of the photographic art medium. Czajkowski achieved her Bachelor of Fine Art in 2009 from Emporia State University in Kansas and earned her Master of Fine Art in photography in 2015 from Arizona State University. Her work has been exhibited and published widely, most recently included in “becoming-Feral,” a book of poetry, essay, and art investigating human/other-animal relationships. Czajkowski is the sound technician and story editor for the Creative Push Project, and assists with Mortem, a research residency for Ayatana’s Biophilia Wild School for Artists based out of Canada. Currently in Mesa, Arizona, Czajkowski is an Assistant Teaching Professor for the Digital Photography online program at ASU where she developed a course on Death and Photography in tandem with a biannual exhibition she curates titled Memento Mori. More of her work can be seen at Ashley Czajkowski.