The Museum is open 11:00 – 19:00
Cinema is closed now
The Museum is open 11:00 – 19:00
Cinema is closed now
Meeting, Workshops for adults
Bookclub: Reading motherhood and caregiving
Tickets
Regular: 30 PLN
Reduced: 20 PLN
Reduced: 20 PLN
Venue
The group will meet at the large reception desk.
Age group
Workshops for adults and young people aged 16+
Language
Polish
Duration
2 hours
photo by Antonina Gugała
Do you enjoy reading and discussing texts that touch upon everyday experiences, relationships, and care? Join the book club "Reading Motherhood and Care"—a series of three meetings devoted to reflections on motherhood, care, and creativity. We will reach for texts by artists and researchers and together we will reflect on the place of motherhood in culture, the everyday nature of care, as well as the relationship between parenthood and creativity.
After registering for the workshop, participants will receive access to readings, open source materials, and information where they can find the texts themselves. The meetings will take place in the exhibition space and in the MSN workshop room. The book club is open to everyone and does not require any specialized knowledge. — we invite anyone interested in critical, personal, and artistic reflection on motherhood and caregiving. Selected texts are available in English, so knowledge of this language will be helpful.
The book club is held in reference to the section of the exhibition "The Female Question 1550–2025" devoted to motherhood - "Born of Woman." The texts discussed come from, among others, the book "The Hand That Moves, the Cradle Holds the Brush" by Matek twórczyń (Sonia Jaszczyńska, Agata Klepka, Agnieszka Strzeżek).
March 17
Meeting 1 "Born of Woman"
During the first meeting, we will look at the relationship between motherhood as an institution and the actual experience. We will reflect on the fantasy of the Polish Mother – to what extent it is relevant today and whether it still influences the individual experience of motherhood. We will begin by discussing Adrienne Rich's essay "Born of Woman," and we will also read excerpts from Agnieszka Graff's book "Matka feministka" ("The Feminist Mother") and Marta Kosińska's article "Fantazmat macierzyństwa – fantazmat klasy średniej" ("The Phantasm of Motherhood – The Phantasm of the Middle Class").
March 31
Meeting 2: "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle"
The second meeting will be devoted to the influence of caregiving on artistic activity. Using the example of literary work, we will consider how the experience of motherhood fits into both practice and the themes addressed. We will also compare the figure of the male genius with that of the female artist who creates while also caring for her family.
The third meeting will focus on the everyday experience of motherhood and caregiving—from fatigue and repetitiveness to closeness and the significance of ambivalence. We will learn about the challenges associated with invisibility and the invalidation of caregiving efforts, as well as practical strategies for supporting creative caregivers in their duties.
We will read essays by Ursula K. Le Guin, "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Holds the Pen," and Alicia Ostriker, "Madness and the Poet."
April 28
Meeting 3: Everyday Life
The third meeting will focus on the everyday experience of motherhood and caregiving—from fatigue and repetitiveness to closeness and the significance of ambivalence. We will learn about the challenges associated with invisibility and the invalidation of caregiving efforts, as well as practical strategies for supporting creative caregivers in their duties.
We will discuss Maja Abu ElDahab's text "Athens, January 2020" and excerpts from Jolanta Brach-Czaína's book "Szczeliny istnienia" ("Cracks of Existence") and Mierle Laderman Ukeles' Manifesto of Care Art.
Biography of the presenter:
Sonia Jaszczyńska – cultural project coordinator, exhibition producer, editor, and illustrator. Graduate of philosophy and law at the University of Warsaw and graphic design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Co-creator of the zine project Okazjonalne Wydawnictwo Stopka and initiator of the Matki twórczynie group. Currently works at the Museum of Literature in Warsaw.
Agnieszka Strzeżek – visual artist, educator, co-founder of the Okazjonalne Wydawnictwo Stopka collective and the Matki twórczynie group, employee of the MSN education department. She explores the combination of creativity and motherhood both in her artistic practice and in her private life.
