Talia Traskos-Hart ’25 holds “From Daughters to Mothers: A Study of Reproductive Labor” gallery talk
January 31, 2025
On Wednesday, Bowdoin students and community members gathered in the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA) for a gallery talk on a new exhibition titled “From Daughters to Mothers: A Study of Reproductive Labor.” The exhibition, curated by Talia Traskos-Hart ’25, focuses on the concept of motherhood through the lens of reproductive labor. Traskos-Hart examined this labor through three main sections: motherhood amidst tragedy, ethical mothering and motherhood as work.
Traskos-Hart’s research in forms of unrecognized and unpaid labor throughout history led to her interest in reproductive labor, which has often gone unacknowledged.
“I am particularly interested in the ways in which organizing that puts reproductive labor at the forefront and aims to get compensation for reproductive labor is a really clear [exploration] of the contradictions of exploitation, but is also an act of women using the very same thing that is oppressed, the body, to gain their liberation,” Traskos-Hart said. “That’s what my [honors project] deals with, and that’s what brought me to this exhibit.”
BCMA Curator Casey Braun, who worked closely with Traskos-Hart on the exhibition, spoke about how Traskos-Hart depicted different roles of women—both as mothers and as professionals.
“It really spoke to me on a personal level, the creative ways that people are able to not only grapple with sort of dual roles that they may be playing, but actually bring them together in a way that is really compelling,” Braun said. “I think Talia has really complicated ideas about what it means to be a good mother by refusing categorically to define that and instead demonstrating that it can change, depending on [context, culture or time period].”
Traskos-Hart elaborated on the experiences of artists who were also mothers, some of whose works were displayed in the exhibition.
“I think that there’s a lot to be said about artists who, in their capacity as mothers, or maybe more mothers who, in their capacity as artists, do self portraiture, or portraits of their children that recognize the labor that goes into raising a child, that turn the child into an artistic production and that are a form of motherly love,” Traskos-Hart said. “And I think those are some of the most controversial works in the exhibit, but also some of the most interesting and beautiful and touching ones.”
Examining her own relationship with her mother was also key for Traskos-Hart in the creation of the exhibition.
“A lot of the process of curation involved thinking about my mother and my relationship with my mother, which is unavoidable when you’re curating something on motherhood and the work that goes into motherhood,” Traskos-Hart said. “What I tried to emphasize in the talk, and what I very much believe, is that motherhood is a labor of love, but it is very much work. I’m very appreciative of my mother for having done the work that she has. I see her in all of these sort of theoretical and political fictions and works of art,… and I found that really inspiring and meaningful.”
Anne Collins Goodyear, co-director of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, described the BCMA as a fitting venue for grappling with complex issues such as reproductive labor.
“Part of what becomes so exciting about this context is that, in a way, museums work as social spaces. The point of a museum isn’t to put the work on view and walk away. The point is to put the work on view and to invite people to come contemplate,” Goodyear said. “I hope [this exhibition] also invites people to come back with friends, perhaps with their own mother, perhaps with their own daughter, perhaps with their chosen mother, their chosen daughter, a friend to be in conversation.”
Though Traskos-Hart has no immediate plans to curate another exhibition, curation has provided her an opportunity to explore different types of writing and to further her honors project. Goodyear, as well as Braun, emphasized Traskos-Hart’s courage in exploring the theme of reproductive labor, extensively researching and translating the ideas she had been exploring through history research into the form of a visual art curation.
“To take on these profound questions is always an act of courage, and to share this with others and to invite their feedback, I think, takes it still another step beyond the courage to engage the topic for oneself,” Goodyear said. “I think the motivation to create an environment in which one can be the catalyst for these big questions is incredibly special.”
Talia Traskos-Hart ’25 is a member of the Bowdoin Orient.
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Beautiful incredible amazing talented