“Elusive Balance”  is a traveling group exhibition exploring the challenges of finding balance within artist and mother/caregiver identities. Works include fiber art, painting, printmaking, mixed media, sculpture, and photography. Showcasing the voices of Iowa artist mothers who represent a range of diverse backgrounds, ages, motherhood stages, and mediums. In an effort to be inclusive of the family needs that coincide with making work, there will be a family-friendly opening reception on Saturday, March 29, from 2-4 pm, with added kids’ activities in the art garden.

This exhibition embraces the dichotomies found in motherhood: ideas of rest and productivity, contentment and overwhelm, stability and transition, responsibility and absurdity/play, and societal expectations vs. personal intuition. The pieces visually explore how one finds personal balance, or simply lets go of this elusive state, celebrating imbalance within life and art.

The Iowa Artist/Mother Group is an ever-growing, egalitarian group started in 2021 that meets regularly to build community, share resources, and support artists who are also caregivers. Represented are various backgrounds, ages, motherhood stages, and mediums. Founding members, Catherine Reinhart and Sheena Daugherty initially formed the group amidst the global Artist/Mother Podcast Co community led by Kaylan Buteyn. Since then, the group has grown to include artists from all over Iowa. They have traveled the state to view exhibitions, kept a continuous online dialogue, and organized group exhibitions. “Elusive Balance”, a traveling exhibition, is debuting at Public Space One, Iowa City, IA in March 2025 and will continue to Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames, IA in August 2025.

Participating artists: Alexandra Ackerman, Stephanie Brunia, Genevra Daley, Sheena Daugherty, Kelly Dewitt, Kay Irelan, Emily Jalinsky, Juliana Jones, Ramona Muse Lambert, Emily Newman, Catherine Reinhart, Kristin Roach, Allison Rowe, Hope Spragg, Amenda Tate, Jill Wells, Alicia Wilkinson