Assembly Bristol was one of five a-n Assembly events taking place across the UK during May and June 2017. a-n devised a programme of events with Bristol-based artist Julie McCalden, which took barriers to practice as a point of departure. Julie invited me to give a presentation and facilitate a workshop, as part of an afternoon session, that explored strategies for maintaining your practice when you start a family. Independent Producer and Horticulturist Jane Porter also shared her practice, including Bring Your Baby; artist Liz Clarke introduced her work, including projects that involve her family.

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My presentation traced a history of practices situated in parenting from the 1800's to now, alongside sharing anecdotes from practitioners who have developed their careers whilst bringing up a family. Participants then split into two groups; the first group discussed what a guide for art parents should include; the remaining participants worked in pairs to map the development of their practice, and identify how they could develop strategies and opportunities to overcome any barriers or obstacles they have encountered since becoming parents. Julie and a-n have documented all the material developed during the session and will work with designers Conway and Young to produce and publish a resource for parents working in the arts.

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Download the presentation (as a PDF).

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Download a workshop outline.

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For further information please go to my blog.