Role Mothers: Art, Creativity and Motherhood

Motherhood is an intense period of introspection and change. For some, these may be ideal conditions for creative inspiration to strike, but it comes with immense demands on time, money and energy.

For the Wheeler Centre’s M/OTHER series, writer and musician Edwina Preston, British novelist Esther Freud and musician and mother Thndo explore the ideas and complications behind balancing art-making and motherhood.

Together with host, Radio National presenter Hilary Harper, they will delve into pertinent and honest questions about the roles of mother and artist, the barriers to creativity placed upon them by caregiving, and what structures can be put in place to better support mothers pursuing creative careers.

This conversation may include reference to difficult topics, such as mental health, reproductive rights, and childbirth. If you need assistance with any of these issues, you can learn more and seek advice via the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE), Perintal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) and Beyond Blue.

Tickets for this event are $15 full price and $10 concession, with a Pay What You Wish option available. Advance bookings are essential.

Children under the age of two do not require a ticket and can sit in their guardian’s lap. For children aged 2-12, please book a free children’s ticket so that we may reserve a seat for them.

This event will also be live streamed, available on this page at the event start time. Bookings are not required. If you are tuning into the live stream and wish to help enable the Wheeler Centre to keep presenting accessible and low-cost events, you are able to support us with a tax-deductible donation here.

The official bookseller for M/OTHER is Neighbourhood Books.

M/OTHER is a weekend of fearless conversation about the ways ‘motherhood’ is experienced, portrayed and labelled by those who mother, have been mothered, wish they were mothers, do not identify as mothers, cannot or do not want to mother, and by society at-large.