What impact does being a parent have on your practice as an artist? How could the art world better accommodate those with young families?
On a local, mundane level, the art world at best ignores and at worst puts up barriers to artists with families.
If the first three years after graduation are vital in an artists career, the first few years after the birth of a child are just as, if not more, difficult.
Barriers to artist parents
Private views, for example, play an important role in artists careers. Gallery openings are where artists build relationships with their peers, curators and more. Yet these events take place at a time when young children are being put to bed. The timing bars artist parents of young children.
Artist’s working lives can call for flexibility hard to combine with the regular needs of younger children. Many artist opportunities need long absences from home or intense working periods. Most residencies don’t make allowances for family commitments. Precarious income, and chronic underpayment of artists makes the costs of family challenging.
Jemima Brown on being an artist parent
Artist Jemima Brown talks about the impact that parenthood had on her practice. In this interview she discusses adaptations made in response to this change.
The family problem, or, how the art world should work for artists with children.
Artists Ellie Rees and Lucy Newman Cleeve talk about how the art world might adapt to better support families. This talk took part as part of the System Failure programme.
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