“Elusive Balance” – Group Art Exhibition Reception of Iowa Artist/Mother Group – Octagon Center for the Arts

Elusive Balance
Group Exhibition by Iowa Artist/Mother Group

Exhibition Dates:
July 21st, 2025 – Exhibition Opening Day
July 26th, 2025 – Exhibition Reception 2:00PM – 5:00PM in the Community Gallery
August 9th, 2025 – Exhibition Closes

Community Gallery Hours:

Monday-Wednesday 10:00 am – 5:30 pm

Thursday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Friday 10:00 am – 5:30 pm

Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Sunday CLOSED

Artist Statement:
Works in this exhibition will include fiber art, painting, printmaking, mixed media, performance, sculpture, photography, and video with a variety of processes and methods. With our intention to showcase the voices of Iowa artist mothers who represent a range of diverse backgrounds, ages, motherhood stages, and mediums, the exhibition will convey a collection of experiences and perspectives that the work of one singular artist’s body of work would prove challenging to convey. The Iowa Artist/Mother group presents an exhibition entitled “Elusive Balance.” The theme of this exhibition explores the challenges of finding balance within artist and mother/caregiver identities. Since there is no one way to embody motherhood, this theme is open to broad interpretation, encompassing ideas of rest and productivity, contentment and overwhelm, stability and transition, responsibility and absurdity/play, and societal expectations vs. personal intuition. We are interested in how one finds personal balance or simply lets go of this elusive state, embracing or celebrating imbalance within life and art. This exhibition showcases the voices of Iowa artist mothers who represent a range of diverse backgrounds, ages, motherhood stages, and mediums. Each artist has one piece on exhibit. Many of the artists are affiliated with the Iowa Artist/Mother group, an egalitarian group started in 2021 that meets regularly to build community, share resources, and support artists who are also caregivers.

Artist Biography:
The Iowa Artist/Mother group presents an exhibition entitled “Elusive Balance.” The theme of this exhibition explores the challenges of finding balance within artist and mother/caregiver identities. Since there is no one way to embody motherhood, this theme is open to broad interpretation, encompassing ideas of rest and productivity, contentment and overwhelm, stability and transition, responsibility and absurdity/play, and societal expectations vs. personal intuition. We are interested in how one finds personal balance or simply lets go of this elusive state, embracing or celebrating imbalance within life and art.

This exhibition showcases the voices of Iowa artist mothers who represent a range of diverse backgrounds, ages, motherhood stages, and mediums. Each artist has one piece on exhibit.

Many of the artists are affiliated with the Iowa Artist/Mother group, an egalitarian group started in 2021 that meets regularly to build community, share resources, and support artists who are also caregivers.

You can learn more about this travelling exhibition HERE

Participating Artists:
Alex Ackerman, Sheena Daugherty, Leigha Garcia George, Emily Jalinsky, Ramona Muse Lambert, Catherine Reinhart, Kristin M. Roach, Allison Rowe, Amenda Tate, Alicia Wilkinson.
Note: These artists will extend invitations to a selection of other female-identifying Iowa artists/caregivers for inclusion in the exhibition.