Philadelphia, PA, April 15, 2025—The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) invites the public to celebrate the journey of motherhood in a free family program day taking place Saturday, May 3, 11:00 am–4:00 pm. Parents are invited to join a morning gallery tour and artist-led conversation while their little ones make art in the FWM studio. Current Artists-in-Residence Mildred Beltré Martinez, Julia Chiang, and Aimee Koran will lead tours of their works on view in Soft/Cover along with the exhibition’s co-curator Katy Donoghue. Creative activities for all ages and archival presentations are available throughout the day.
Called ‘Mothership,’ the event’s name is inspired by the work of Philadelphia-based artist Aimee Koran, who likens the experience of approaching motherhood to the mission of an astronaut traveling to new, unknown territory. The event is organized in partnership with Art Mamas, a member-driven supportive community for parents in the arts co-founded in 2020 by Katy Donoghue.
In addition to the gallery and studio experiences, the FWM Store is hosting a unique shopping opportunity for Mother’s Day gifts: Koran will participate in a pop-up shop, MOMSHOP, offering limited edition art, wearables, and accessories that celebrate adventures in motherhood.
Schedule of Events
Saturday, May 3
Tour
Artist Walk + Talk
11:00 am–12:00 pm | Advance registration required
Stroll the galleries with Artists-in-Residence Mildred Beltré Martinez, Julia Chiang, and Aimee Koran as they discuss their works on view and practice as an artist/mother. Tour led by Soft/Cover curator and co-founder of Art Mamas, Katy Donoghue.
Bringing children?
- Kids ages 4 and under are welcome on the Artist Walk + Talk. Strollers too!
- For kids over the age of 4, add a kids’ ticket for the morning family workshop when you register for the Artist Walk + Talk so that you can join the artist conversation solo.
Workshop
Family Making Activities
11:00 am–12:00 pm | Advance registration required
12:00–3:00 pm | Drop-ins welcome
Make art with a range of techniques and materials guided by our Education staff:
- Paper Doll Prints: Create a set of paper dolls inspired by fashionable garments in Soft/Cover
- Mission Patch-Making: Inspired by the work of artist Aimee Koran, create a symbol to represent something you care for and print it on a patch for your own unique mission.
- Letters Home: Inspired by artist Mildred Beltré’s work, create a screenprinted envelope and card set to send letters to family or friends. Or deconstruct the envelope to create a sculptural shelter.
Presentation
Archive Artist Box Tours
Tours begin at 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 3:00 pm | Drop-ins welcome
Explore archival process materials related to the projects of Artists-in-Residence who are also mothers: Soft/Cover artists Mildred Beltré Martinez, Julia Chiang, and Aimee Koran, as well as Rose B. Simpson.
In-Store Event
Aimee Koran’s MOMSHOP
12:00–5:00 pm
For the mom that’s out of this world, the sky’s the limit when it comes to finding the perfect Mother’s Day gift. This pop-up sale with FWM Artist-in-Residence Aimee Koran offers art, wearables, and accessories that celebrate adventures in motherhood:
- Pregnancy Patch Kits, among the hottest items in the FWM Store, play on both labor union and NASA patches to position the work of motherhood as vital, brave, and worthy of our reverence. Available individually or as a set of three.
- New MILF (Mothers in the Labor Force)’ hats and stickers. Also available as a patch.
- Limited edition wearables made by Koran in collaboration with Corner Store Collective, including scarves and custom-made fabric from her acclaimed Milkscape series, upcycled jeans, and more.
- Digital prints on paper featuring images from Koran’s Milkscape, Chromed Life, and Insiders series.
About the Participants
Mildred Beltré is a visual artist known for politically engaged works exploring social justice and collective liberation. She is co-founder of the collective Justseeds and of the public art project Brooklyn Hi-Art! Machine. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA, Spaces Gallery, Cleveland, OH, Burlington City Arts, VT, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY, and the International Print Center, New York, NY. Her work is included in museum collections, including the Brooklyn Museum, NY, the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI, among others. She has received multiple honors, including a Metropolitan Museum Civic Practice Partnership Artist and a BRIC Media Arts Fellowship, Brooklyn, NY. She holds graduate degrees from University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, and a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College, Northfield, MN.
Julia Chiang is known for her meditative paintings and ceramic works of layered color fields and flowing patterns that create an entrancing effect suggestive of natural phenomena. The artist’s work has been widely exhibited internationally. Solo exhibitions include Julia Chiang: The Glows and The Blows, Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY; Salt on Our Skin, Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York, NY; Holding My Breath Moving Closer Closer, The Modern Institute, Glasgow, Ireland, and Pump And Bump, NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan. Chiang has also participated in group exhibitions in the US, UK, and Spain. Public projects include the Rockaway Hotel mural in Far Rockaway, Queens, NY and the Rx Art mural at the Nappi Wellness Institute, SUNY Upstate, Syracuse, NY. Chiang is represented by The Modern Institute, Nicola Vassell Gallery and Nanzuka. She is a graduate of New York University.
Katy Donoghue is a graduate of New York University’s Journalism School and has been with Whitewall since 2006. As the Editor-in-Chief of Whitewall Magazine, Whitewall.art, and Whitewaller, she manages an international team of contributing writers and photographers and has profiled artists and creatives like Derek Fordjour, David Chipperfield, Glenn Ligon, Lorna Simpson, Amy Sherald, Catherine Opie, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Judy Chicago, among many others. In 2013, she helped to launch the print publication of Whitewall China in Beijing. She co-founded Art Mamas Alliance, a community of parents in the arts, in 2019. She has edited publications such as Polly Apfelbaum’s For the Love of Una Hale (2023). Katy lives in Philadelphia with her family and cat, Hoagie.
Aimee Koran is a multi-disciplinary artist whose works across the mediums of sculpture, photography, and installation explores the overlooked experiences of motherhood. Her work has been shown around the globe in venues such as the Richard Saulton Gallery, London, UK; Mutter Museum, Philadelphia, PA; and The Arlington Art Center, Arlington, VA. In addition to FWM, Koran has completed residencies at The Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT; The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY; and Project for Empty Space, Newark, NJ. Her solo and group exhibitions have been featured in publications like The New York Times, Vogue, Whitewall, Artslant, Artnet News, and A Woman’s Thing. Koran’s work is in the permanent collection at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA. Koran holds a graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelors degree from Moore College of Art & Design, both in Philadelphia, PA.
About the FWM Store
At the FWM Store, our emphasis has always been artist-designed, handmade, and locally sourced. This includes both products made by our Studio in collaboration with artists from our residency program to sourced products by Philadelphia-based artists and makers. Our artist-driven projects don’t simply begin in the studio and end in the gallery—they extend seamlessly into our shop and into your home. In-store and online, you’ll find wearables, handbags, design goods, art books, yardage and exclusive, limited-edition products created in collaboration with renowned artists including Louise Bourgeois, Moe Brooker, Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Mary Heilmann, Jun Kaneko, Rose B. Simpson, Kiki Smith, Betty Woodman, and many others. Each purchase helps to support artistic experimentation at FWM. Our members save 10% on all products and get exclusive discounts throughout the year.
Download the Press Release PDF