Motherhood and Art
Moderated by Katie Hintz-Zambrano, Mother Mag
Date & Time:
Saturday, April 19, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location:
San Francisco Art Fair Theater
“Motherhood and Art” explores the intersection of creative expression and motherhood, highlighting how these two powerful forces shape and challenge each other. This discussion delves into the unique experiences of mothers in the art world, examining their creative practices and how motherhood influences their work. We’ll also address enduring stereotypes around motherhood and art, industry-specific problems, and the societal expectations and personal dynamics that come with balancing art and parenting.
Katie Hintz-Zambrano is the founder & editor of the multi-platform media brand MOTHER, which she launched in 2014 after noticing a void in the market for a journalism-driven, design-forward publication for modern moms. She is also the host of The MOTHER Podcast and founder of In Good Company, a brand specializing in vibrant, in-person gatherings for creative women, entrepreneurs, and mothers.
Libby Black is a painter, drawer, and sculptural installation artist living in Berkeley, CA. Her artwork charts a path through personal history and a broader cultural context to explore the intersection of politics, feminism, LGBTQ+ identity, consumerism, addiction, notions of value, and desire. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, with such shows as “California Love” at Galerie Droste in Wupertal, Germany; “Bay Area Now 4” at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; “California Biennial” at the Orange County Museum of Art; and at numerous galleries in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Black has been an artist-in-residence at Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, CA; Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, CA; and Spaces in Cleveland, OH. Her work has been reviewed in Artforum, Art in America, ARTnews, Flash Art, and The New York Times. She received a BFA from Cleveland Institute of Art in 1999 and an MFA at the California College of the Arts in 2001. Libby is an Associate Professor at San Francisco State University.
Ton Mak is a mom of many creatures: two boys, two cats, and a fantasy world of imaginary characters known as FLABJACKS. FLABJACKS is a universe of corpulent and odd folks that have been featured as paintings, books, collectible toys, and more. To date, FLABJACKS has collaborated with brands such as Gucci, Swatch, Apple, and Nike, making its distinctive and colourful mark throughout Asia, Europe, and the U.S.
Ton grew up nomadically between Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Initially introduced to art by her mother as a form of therapy at an early age, she has been drawing and painting for as long as she can remember. Ton is also the author of “A Sloth’s Guide to Mindfulness,” “A Turtle’s Guide to Introversion,” and “Self-Care in Underwear.” She currently resides in San Francisco.
Lauren Ryan has twenty-five years of professional experience curating and advising collections of post-war and contemporary art. As a current Partner at Anthony Meier Gallery, Lauren helps guide the gallery’s strategic vision, including exhibitions, programming, and cultivating the careers of gallery artists.
Prior to joining Anthony Meier in 2013, Lauren was Senior Director at Allan Schwartzman Inc, a high-profile art advisory firm based in New York. During her tenure at Schwartzman
Inc, Lauren helped to guide some of the most ambitious public and private art collections around the globe. Prior to advising, Lauren held curatorial positions at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC; the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.; and The United States Senate Curator’s Office in Washington, D.C. She recently completed a six year term on the Board of Directors at the Headlands Center for the Arts.
Jessica Silverman is an ambitious, international contemporary art gallery known for building artists’ careers and supporting art buyers keen on establishing relevant collections. Silverman founded her eponymous gallery in 2008. She has an MA in Curatorial Practice from San Francisco’s California College of the Arts and a BFA from Otis College in Los Angeles. Silverman sat on the San Francisco Arts Commission for nine years and is happy to consult on public art projects. She is a Board member of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA).
The gallery represents artists who make museum-worthy art at all stages of their careers. Works by the gallery’s artists have been acquired by museums such as the Tate (London), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Museum Ludwig (Cologne), Reina Sofia (Madrid), MoMA (New York), the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), the Hirshhorn (Washington D.C.), Pérez Art Museum (Miami), MCA Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center (Dallas), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), the Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), X Museum (Beijing) as well as museums in the San Francisco Bay Area – Asian Art Museum, Berkeley Art Museum, de Young Museum, SFMOMA, Stanford’s Cantor Art Center, etc.
Jessica Silverman exhibits at all four Art Basel fairs – Paris, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Basel, Switzerland. The gallery also participates in the Frieze fairs in Los Angeles and Seoul, and FOG Design + Art in San Francisco.
Rupy C. Tut (b. 1985, Chandigarh, India) is a 2024 recipient of SFMOMA’s SECA Art Award, as well as the Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship. She has enjoyed recent solo exhibitions, including at SFMOMA, CA; ICA San Francisco; Crown Point Press, San Francisco; and Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA. Her work has been exhibited in group exhibitions at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Phoenix Art Museum, AZ; Fowler Art Museum, Los Angeles; Kala Art Institute, Berkeley and Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, among others. She has work in the permanent collections of SFMOMA, CA; Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; de Young, San Francisco; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; and Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN. Her work will be included in an upcoming group exhibition at National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. in October 2025. Her second solo exhibition with Jessica Silverman will open in November 2025. She studied calligraphy and traditional Indian painting at the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, London in 2016. She previously received a BS from UCLA and MPH from Loma Linda University, CA. She lives and works in Oakland, CA and is represented by Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.