CLIENT STORIES
M/OTHERS WHO MAKE
A Quietly Growing Revolution
In the heart of Boorloo, a remarkable coup is quietly unfolding. At its heart is Mothers Who Make Boorloo, an artist-led collective that is redefining the intersection of caregiving and creativity.
The unique M/others Who Make Boorloo community was founded by Michelle Hall in 2019, through her sheer determination and the instinct to connect. The community is diverse in age, ability, background, class and care-giving situations, and as such, they are constantly reinventing models of co-creation.
Their aim is to dissolve systemic prejudices and barriers that exclude artists who are caregivers. They provide a nurturing space where these artists can thrive without having to separate their caregiving responsibilities from progressing their artistic practise.
All of their spaces are 'relaxed' - in contrast to mainstream arts organisations that assume you 'drop off your kids, or drop off your art' - M/others Who Make is a space where artists can care, create and participate at the same time.
Holding Space
Michelle is absolutely dedicated to talking about the invisible labour of care - which, she notes is a very gendered issue. “Not everyone gets this movement towards care, creativity and inclusivity yet - some may never understand it. But if you have someone in your care, you are going to need a community, at some point.”
Inspired by the challenges posed by the ‘Motherhood Penalty’ - a term that encapsulates the systemic disadvantages faced by caregivers in professional settings - Michelle set out to create a supportive community. Her determination has led to the formation of a vibrant network that encourages resource sharing and mutual support.
The opportunity to collectively imagine new ways of working that dissolve isolation, promote creativity and make the work of care visible and valued, is what drives her to reach more and more artists. “I find that the result is radical generosity and resourcefulness. M/others Who Make Boorloo are a quietly growing revolution.”
A Global Dialogue
Their activities extend beyond local community to a global conversation around reproductive rights and the stories of caregiving, “supporting artists who are mothers to find community, share skills, resources and crucially, to make art that told contemporary stories of motherhood which challenge out-dated notions of who mothers are and what mothers do".
This approach helps challenge redundant notions of motherhood and caregiving and offers insight into what kinds of practical support artist m/others might need to participate in the arts and culture sectors.
They are presenting a thought-provoking idea to arts organisations that M/others Who Make Boorloo has huge benefits to the wider community, in terms of cultural change and social health. “Revolutions take time and perseverance. This one is no different.”
Matilda Leyser is the founder of M/others Who Make International and has been instrumental in connecting 1000's of artist m/others around the world. Michelle has benefited from Matilda's mentoring in setting up M/others Who Make Boorloo and in remaining committed to her ethos of care and creativity, despite the challenges of a product driven arts culture.
When conventions are challenged, it’s not uncommon to come across pushback... but, "This is your project, work with who genuinely supports you", was one piece of advice that rang true, again and again for Michelle. Reflecting on her journey, she offers invaluable advice to others, “When you are working in community engagement, genuine allies are the only way to make it work.”
M/others Who Make is underpinned by invaluable resources like Naomi Stadlen’s book, "What Mothers Do When it Looks Like Nothing," which articulates the intrinsic connection between care and creativity. This philosophy is central to the community’s ethos, promoting CAREfull creative processes that respect and nurture individuals.
M/others Who Make Boorloo have plans to expand their community workshops - they continue to change the narrative around m/otherhood in the arts while providing a blueprint for inclusive, creative collaboration that others can look to and learn from.
Creative Kinship : Redefining Revolution
“Kaz's images bring the character and the heart of your work to connect with any audience - she is a storyteller in her own right.”
Collaborating with Kaz was transformative for the M/others community. Michelle comments, “It is the next step in championing yourself or your business. It's so important that we share who we are, and what we represent to the wider world.”
The challenge of organising a photo shoot for 13 artist M/others seemed impossible to Michelle, but the experience was rewarding beyond measure. She spoke of how Kaz’s photographs provided M/others Who Make Boorloo with a unified visual narrative that beautifully highlighted their community's solidarity.
The photographs have become essential to the M/others branding efforts; enhancing their social media content, using the images regularly for funding applications, and in creating an archive of their artistic and cultural research.
What stood out was how Kaz managed to capture the creativity and mutual support that the group have built together. “Our artist community now has a collective, visual identity that we can use to show the world who we are!”
Michelle recounts, “The joy of the artists having photographs taken with their kids took me by surprise - seeing them take pride and have confidence in collaborating with Kaz to build a unique, authentic image. It was a true pleasure to see artists step into the light and become dazzlingly visible and powerful through Kaz's carefully crafted images.”
From Kaz’s perspective, it was an absolute joy to photograph a like-minded group of talented individuals, who wholeheartedly welcomed her. It’s an artform in itself to be able to draw the authentic self out of a subject; creating a connection where the subject allows themselves to ‘just be’ in front of her lens, trusting her implicitly to ‘see’ them. It’s a magic place!
M/others Who Make Boorloo collaborate through monthly peer support meetings, creative learning workshops and artist-residencies > www.motherswhomake.org/perth