The Madre Project is a non-profit creative initiative based in Teville Road, where artists, writers, researchers and makers are brought together through a programme of events, discussion and shared creative space.
Founding director Sandy Oldaker is a conceptual artist and academic, researching a PhD in motherhood, care and reproductive politics at the University of Chichester.
She said: “The Madre Project is built on the belief that creativity should be accessible, collective and compatible with care. This is an inclusive bricks and mortar space where mothers and those with caring responsibilities can reconnect with their creative practice, build community, and challenge the barriers that so often exclude them from the arts.”
Many women shared their experiences of motherhood with Sandy when she hosted her What Was I Made For? exhibition at Colonnade House in April, staging motherhood as a site of labour, framing ambivalence with permission and inviting dialogue around maternal feeling ‘rules’.
Sandy said: “The overriding themes were of loneliness and lack of community. These women wanted opportunities to gather that weren't child centred and allowed space for connection and solidarity.
“I felt called immediately. As a single, working class, local mother I have known and understand these struggles. Not only do I have lived experience, I have committed the last ten years of my life to researching motherhood.
“My vision was for a space where (m)others could gather and be in solidarity, because history tells us that women gathering is deeply political. Mothering as labour is siloed and invisiblised. It is the reason we all feel so lonely.
“It doesn't have to be this way. So my vision seeks to unite us through a truly community space, not-for-profit, affordable spaces that are truly care-friendly. This is a truly grassroots project. One woman answering the call of a community.”
Sandy has committed to a three-year lease and says those who gather within the project will shape its future.
Workshops and events, like the monthly bookclub and the collage and conversation meet-ups, are Pay As You Can (PAYC).
Sandy said: “Committed to accessibility, The Madre Project offers PAYC events, ensuring that financial circumstances are never a barrier to participation. Alongside its public programme, the project also provides solidarity-rate shared studio spaces, offering affordable, supportive environments where creative practitioners can develop their work within a community that understands the realities of balancing art and care.”
The tagline is ‘a place to make, to think and to gather’ and above all, the project seeks to reduce isolation and foster community and solidarity for mothers and primary carers across the region.
Visit www.themadreproject.com to find out more or find The Madre Project on Instagram
5. The Madre Project
Events include Collage & Conversation with all materials and bottomless tea and coffee provided Photo: Sandy Oldaker
6. The Madre Project
The monthly bookclub is a hybrid critical reading group exploring motherhood, reproduction, care, labour and identity through dual reading Photo: Sandy Oldaker
7. The Madre Project
The project provides shared studio spaces where creative practitioners can develop their work within a community that understands the realities of balancing art and care Photo: Sandy Oldaker