Starting "Studio Kids"

In 1938, art critic Cyril Connolly said “there is no more sombre enemy to good art than the pram in the hall.” It almost seems as if, even now, the art world locks artist-parents out, prevented from making any work at all in case it’s “bad”. 

In 2022, art critic and curator Hettie Judah published a book called How Not to Exclude Artist Mothers (and other parents…). This was a watershed moment. Judah explained plainly and clearly that the art world is purposefully organised to exclude those with childcare responsibilities. Opening parties clash with the 6-8pm bedtime routine. Studio set ups prioritise lone working and focused time, not the chaotic energy brought by young children. The book radically suggested that these rigid rules artists are forced to operate by, enforced by figures like Connolly, are not the only ways of making art.

Now, finally, the art world has begun to understand that artist-parents - particularly female, queer, trans or non-binary parents, often collectively called m*thers - have a much harder time following a creative practice than those without children. We’re beginning to see changes in the timings of events: family friendly opening parties at 2pm on a Saturday with activities for children. Artist-m*therhood is fast becoming the topic of exhibitions across the UK. Judah’s show for the Hayward Touring commission, Acts of Creation, was a retrospective of works since the feminist avante-garde to the present day. In Lancashire, we saw exhibitions such as Lull at the Birley, Preston, by curator-mother Zoe Watson, featuring artworks made from the context of childcare. The pram in the hall is now understood as an ally to good art, even though artist-m*thers have been exploring this condition for as long as art has been made. 

In the summer of 2025, I had an opportunity to travel to Toronto, Canada with my daughter, Nora, to join 14 other artist-parents and their children for a week-long residency with MOTHRA Artist-Parent Project. I found out about this organisation reading Judah’s book. For the first time, I was surrounded by artists (mostly w*men; there was one dad with his teenage son) and their children, and all of their beautiful messiness. We worked in our studios, ran workshops for each other, read critical texts whilst our children played and made food together. Productivity looked different. It felt slower but steadier, more thoughtful and considerate towards our children and ourselves. Art and life were authentically blurred. Being part of this community, just for one week, helped me to see that other ways of working which involve caring for our children are not only possible but better. 

A reading group session at MOTHRA

A studio visit, with children involved, at MOTHRA

This is where Studio Kids, Good Things Collective’s monthly creative session for children and their adults, fits in. I wanted to share the experience I had at MOTHRA with adults and their children in Morecambe. Having a regular opportunity to actively welcome children into the making process - to watch their own ideas spark and influence our own, to see through their fascinated and curious eyes - helps to reconfigure artistic production until childcare is an integral part of it. And it’s not just for people who are already practicing artists - I hope Studio Kids is a place for people who’ve stepped away from creative practices to raise children and want to start making work again, or people who’ve always wanted to but haven’t yet had the time or support to be creative alongside childcare. Or even people who just want creative experiences with their children, whether they are artists or not. 

Experimenting with the photocopier at Studio Kids

Photocopier artwork

So far, we’ve made plant pots from recycled paper and planted seedlings. My daughter’s are just starting to grow. We’ve experimented with expressive self-portraits using collage and salt dough. Children have explored layering and copying using the studio photocopier, arranging images and objects on the scanning screen and pressing the buttons themselves (a method borrowed from artist-parent researcher Assunta Ruocco, developed with her daughter Lou). In March, we’re making upcycled garments from charity shop clothes. Activities are artist- and child-led, exploring different disciplines, materials and ways of working.

I hope Studio Kids will grow as my daughter grows, alongside all of the other children who come and take part. I imagine her childhood into the future, as this intergenerational community forms with her. Most of all, I hope that, by building this in Morecambe, we can contribute to the burgeoning idea that parenthood does not contradict or oppose creativity but enriches it.

Find out more about Studio Kids, including details about the next session, on the dedicated webpage.