Oct 28 - Nov 28, 2021

Opening reception: Nov 6, 2021 from 4-6pm

In collaboration with Artist/Mother Podcast, Artlink is pleased to host Painting at Night, a group exhibition that was juried by Melanie Cooper Pennington and open internationally to artists identifying as mothers or lifelong caregivers.

The theme for this exhibition was accumulated during episode 28 of the Artist Mother Podcast, a conversation between host, Kaylan Buteyn, and artist Allison Reimus. In the episode, Allison recalls the time she read a statement in a New York Times article about how “You can’t paint at night in your kitchen and hope to be a good artist. It doesn’t work that way.”  

In true Artist/Mother fashion, this seemed like a great statement to respond to for a group show, as an act of resistance and rejection. To imply that good art cannot be made in domestic spaces, or that a person cannot claim the title of artist without meeting arbitrary requirements is a patriarchal myth, one that artists who are mothers have been resisting for decades.

Over 400 artworks were submitted to this call. The juror, Melanie Cooper Pennington, narrowed down the exhibition to 63 works by 54 artists, with a broad range of media including painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramic, sculpture, texiles, installation and video.

Artists: Lisa Alonzo, Robin Assner-Alvey, Cassie Arnold, Joanna Bavero, Erin Boake, Amy Branch-Lambert, Sarah Meyers Brent, Kim Cardoso, Kristy Cavaretta, Allyson Darakjian, Krista Dedrick-Lai, Jillian Dickson, Beth Dixon Welch, Kate Eggleston, Lauren Frances Evans, Jean Gray Mohs, Nicole Havekost, Jodi Hays, Norah Howell, Sara Hubbs, Bethany Kenyon, Alexandra Kiss, Marrin Lee Martinez, Madeleine LeMieux, Jess Levey, Tai Lipan, Jill Nicole Luton, Kelly Marshall, Jennifer Mendoza Stanelle, Kellianne McCarthy, Erin McCluskey Wheeler, Emily Moll Wood, Sarah Paulsen, Catherine Reinhart, Leslie Renn, Renee Romero, Laura Rosengren, Liz Rundorff Smith, Lauren Salazar, Nora Schuchat, Lauren Scott Corwin, Jordan Sheridan, Claire Sherwood, Megan Shope, Kari Smith, Angie Stalker, Isadora Stowe, Jacquelyn Strycker, Yael Villafranca, Dara Weyna, Paige Whitney, Maliheh Zafarnezhad, Emily Zarse, and Stefanie Zito.

About the Juror
Melanie Cooper Pennington teaches sculpture in Bloomington at Indiana University. Tired of fitting sculpture around her work as an interior designer in Chicago, after 12 years she left design and transitioned to graduate school to focus full time on her sculpture practice. With the loving support of her partner and 2 kids, she received her MFA in 2016 and has not looked back. She still practices interior design, is a barre workout devotee, walks dogs and cats and acts as the emotional center for her family. Her motto is “more is more.” Click here to view Melanie’s website.

Juror’s Statement

“To Paint at Night requires Elastigirl flexibility, MacGyver resourcefulness and a monastic ability to listen to oneself. The clamor of being a mother resounds even when the children are not present, our bodies are trained to respond at the drop of a pin. So not only must we sometimes paint at night – but we must cultivate our ability to listen to our inner visual/creative compass and ignore the dull or roaring clamor that spins constantly in the background.

When asked to Jury this show I was deeply honored and excited to participate with both Artlink and the Artist/Mother podcast community. I had witnessed the inaugural Painting at Night exhibition over social media in 2020 – and felt seen, as an art maker and mother, just by the title of the show alone. Because I myself, “paint at night”, and I hear in those words the thrum of determination that has always been inside me to use my knowing, and my skills to create, whenever or wherever I can harness the space and time to do so. I love what last year’s juror, Allison Reimus, wrote:

“I recall reading a piece in the New York Times where the man responsible for a performance art space's move from Brooklyn to Detroit claimed that "you can't paint at night in your kitchen and hope to be a good artist. It doesn't work that way." As artist/ mothers, we are well aware that the separation of the domestic from serious artistic inquiry is a patriarchal myth. Living a life of any kind beyond the stereotypical and outdated confines of what makes a "successful artist" is not bad. It does, however, require flexibility regarding schedules and spaces. This was Kaylan's impetus for the show, the Artist/ Mother Podcast’s inaugural juried exhibition, Painting at Night.”

The artists in this exhibition are not listening to the doubters but have been practicing the art of listening to themselves. Decisions must be made constantly when creating and editing is one of the most essential and sometimes infuriating aspects. To act and then assess its rightness or wrongness, then erase and try again. And to believe that you will find the right combination, the right material, the right color that will bring your internal vision forward as long as you keep trying is mighty. I love that the point of “it is finished!” in any art piece is only known and can only be decided by the artist themselves and is discovered through the journey of deep listening to oneself.

When I step back now and look at the show, what I see is an overwhelming representation of incredibly talented caregivers who have used their skills to reach beyond themselves and touch others. I feel held by this exhibition  and not only because of the presence of soft sculpture. I love soft sculpture and its ability to soften a complicated message, like  Stefanie Zito’s piece Margin Expansion, Emily Zarse’s Apron,  and Norah Howell’s Self Portrait 9 Months Pregnant with Second Child.  But I am also amazed how seeing the fierce textures and reverberating colors in so many of these works -  Jordan Sheridan’s Pandiculation, Madeline LeMieux’s Mommy Pile,  Tai Lipan’s Flushed and Catherine Reinhart’s  Inland Surveying -  make me want to live harder, louder, and with more joy.  

And then there are the moments of rest, found in the exhibition as found in the day; Leslie Renn’s 1'30": the length of time my son can be without me, Jill Nicole Luton’s Evening Occasion 2 or the gentle introspection of Erin Boake’s The Path.

So many beautiful works, made by people listening deeply and sharing what they hear. I hope your experience as you wander through this exhibition is like mine, that though I may arrive empty I am filled back in by what I see before me.” - Melanie Cooper Pennington