“Not a Soft Thing: A Group Exhibition by Artist Mothers”
On view from Oct. 25, 2025, through Mar. 22, 2026, in the Chicago Rooms (2nd Floor North), this exhibition explores the intersections of caregiving, creativity and community through the work of 15 artist mothers with diverse cultural backgrounds, disciplines, and stages of caregiving.
Through painting, photography, ceramics, texts, and installation, the exhibition explores the question: “What does it mean to create in the margins of care?” Not a Soft Thing is both a call to action and an invitation: to recognize caregiving not as a barrier to creativity, but as a powerful, generative force within it.
Several works are uniquely designed to be child-friendly and invite audience participation, creating meaningful, intergenerational experiences for visitors.
Exhibiting artists include: A.Martinez, Angela Lopez, Aubrey Ingmar, Bobbi Meier, Connie Noyes, Cydney M Lewis, Jenny Halpern, Jihae Park, Katie Kirk, Keeley Haftner, Noelle Garcia, Orr Menirom, Sarana Mehra, Tulika Ladsariya and Yemisi Oyeniyi.
