A group exhibition bringing together artists from East London who create alongside, with, about and around motherhood

Dates: Thurs 17th- Sun 20th Sept, at the Garage Gallery E17

A small group show bringing together local women artists from East London who create alongside, with, about and around motherhood. Works will explore questions about becoming/ being/ not being/ or losing a mother, and the artists’ responses to these experiences.

Making is a form of birthing, and mothering is itself a creative act.  

The show will feature works from local artists whose work either focuses on the theme of motherhood, or whose practice and method is influenced by these experiences.

Who is eligible?

• Artists/ makers based in Waltham Forest or nearby in East London, at any stage of their artistic journey
• We want to feature a range of experiences and visual artists working from diverse contexts with these themes, and using a range of media, including word.
• The exhibition open call is open to all m/others with creativity in their bones - inclusive of bereaved mothers, pregnant people, non-binary parents, adoptive parents, queer mothers, trans parents, foster parents, surrogate mothers, grand and great-mothers. We are particularly keen to include the perspectives of:
  Makers/Mothers from underserved, historically or systemically marginalised communities
  Grand and Great-Grandmothers
  Parents with insights into a range of ways that artists maintain or develop their creative practice inspired by and along with family life. 

Why take part?

• Show your work in an East London gallery space in a vibrant area, complemented by a programme of free workshops to attract & engage the public in the themes of the exhibition
• A Private View event on the opening night
• Retain 90% of any sales made over the course of the exhibition
• Opportunities to build connections and community with practitioners working with similar themes, including an online meet up prior to the exhibition month, to introduce other exhibiting artists
• Promotion and marketing of the exhibition in the run-up to the event, including social media highlights to support participating artists’ visibility
• The gallery will be listed with the London Open House Festival 2026, which falls over the exhibition weekend, and we expect this will lead to good footfall

Details: 

The exhibition would be curated by artist Laura Villares House.

Alongside the exhibition display, we’ll run a programme of events and activities to engage visitors in the themes of the exhibition in a supportive and interactive way, and to inspire mothers and families to create together.

We also want to use this exhibition and the associated events as a way to gather interest and contacts for women interested in participating in a new Women’s Creative Circle, a supportive network for local creatives to share ideas, feedback and skills exchanges.

It’s free to apply. If your work is selected to be part of the show, there will be a suggested participation fee of £25 per artist (if this is prohibitive, please contact Laura to discuss).

This is to help cover the cost of a Private View, support curator time and printing of promotional materials.

The Garage Gallery asks for a commission of 10% on any sales made.

Please note:

• The gallery space is a small, intimate space generously offered by the owners of the Garage Gallery as an accessible space for artists to share their work. There is roughly 10m of hanging space, supplemented by two portable freestanding boards. This means that if your work is very large, we may not have the space to display it.
• If your work needs a plinth, please ensure you can provide one.
• We will be running small group workshops for families in the space alongside the exhibition. Please ensure your work is suitable for this context.
• All work must be framed/ready to hang
• As this is an artist-led group show, we ask that you help to promote the exhibition amongst your networks
• If you are based locally we ask that you support with a half-day invigilation slot 

How to enter work:

Please enter work by completing the form on CuratorSpace no later than Sunday 2nd August.

Please give a short description of how your work aligns with the exhibition themes.

You can enter up to 3 works.

Timeline (Subject to change):

Sunday 2nd August, 12 midnight: Application deadline.

We aim to let all applicants know by Friday 7th August.

Monday 13th September 6-7.30 pm: Drop off work

Tuesday 15th September, 10 am -11 am: Drop off work

Tuesday 15th September, 11 am - 3 pm: Installation

Thursday 17th September: Exhibition Opens 10 am - 5 pm. Mending workshop 12.30-2.30 pm 

Friday 18th September: Exhibition open 10 am - 5 pm. Workshop with Daphne & Friends 10.30-12. 6-8 pm Private View & Artist talk.  

Saturday 19th September: Exhibition open 10 am - 5 pm. Family workshop: 10 am - 11 am - Free, drop-in (donations welcome)

Sunday 20th September: Exhibition open 10 am - 5 pm. Family workshop: 10 am - 11 am - Free, drop-in (donations welcome)

Monday 21st September: Take down & collection of unsold works. (10 am - 3 pm)

Liability & Photography:

Although artworks will be handled with care and invigilation will be provided whilst the exhibition is open to the public, we cannot be responsible for loss or damage to artworks, and artists are encouraged to carry their own insurance.

We reserve the right to photograph artwork during the event and use images of the artwork for publicity purposes, including images taken at the Private View and other events. Artists will receive copies of the images.

The artist agrees to the above-mentioned terms by submitting artwork via this call.