Design graduate launches exhibition fundraising campaign

A Jewellery Design graduate is fundraising to help her co-founded organisation, Mother Makers, exhibit at Munich Jewellery Week 2018.

Date: 22 November 2017

Laura Bradshaw-Heap, a Jewellery Design MA graduate, is the co-founder of Mother Makers – a network which aims to help artistic mothers continue with their careers alongside motherhood.

Mother Makers hopes to get international recognition at Munich Jewellery Week 2018.

Bradshaw-Heap said: “Myself and Laurie (co-founder) are both jewellers by trade, so it is natural that we would hold our first collaborative project for Mother Makers in Munich. Attending Munich Jewellery week for us is about visibility for mothers who are professional makers.

“Motherhood can often be hidden in the arts, with many women often feeling they must choose between being a good parent or good artist. We hope to break down some of the stigma connected to this by demonstrating that women within a professional context can and do work at the same quality level as before they became a parent, as well as opening the discussion about what is needed in our professional realm for mothers.”

Mother Makers has already secured a venue at the event. They now hope to raise €7000 to fund their travel expenses and management of the curated exhibition.

The exhibition will premiere a wide range of work from artistic mothers, who plan to demonstrate that having children should not hold women back from pursuing careers in the arts. They also plan to use some of the money to further develop and expand their website, which currently features interviews with artists and advice for fellow ‘maker-mums’.