Ironically, the art world is lined with boundaries and expectations of what exactly constitutes an artist. Though these walls are continuing to crumble with the help of alternative spaces, much of these rules are still dictated by elite gallerists and publications. Magin Shchantz, artist and founder of Ridgewood’s Supermoon Art Space, is contributing to the rewriting of the definition of an artist with the space’s latest exhibition, “Women’s Work,” opening this weekend.
The weekend-long multidisciplinary show will feature the works of 11 artists and mothers created over the course of the past three months. Primarily textile-based, the artworks were both made collaboratively and individually. “I wanted to use textiles because working with fiber is something that is inherently feminine and motherly,” Schantz told Bushwick Daily. “Ridgewood also has a rich history rooted in knitting and sewing factories that I want to celebrate.”
All of the work in the show was made in a collaborative setting at Supermoon. Schantz cultivated a circle of mothers she had met through both Supermoon’s playschool and her six-year-old daughter’s friends, inviting them to come together to make art. The group is incredibly diverse: while some of the women are fine artists now juggling their practice with motherhood, others have backgrounds in the textile industry and are looking for a way to express themselves creatively by using their skills.
“Some of the women are from Central and South America and have been working with textiles all their life,” Schantz said. By giving these women an opportunity to create with each other, “we are reframing the way we think of art.” Though each mother comes from a different set of experiences, traditions, and backgrounds, they can celebrate “their relationships to their own mothers and children, their identities as artists, and their connection to their community,” as stated in their press release.
During the week, Supermoon Art Space is a day care and playschool. However, on the weekends, it opens up into a creative space welcoming of Ridgewood’s diverse neighborhood. “My goal is for the Supermoon to be a place for people of all backgrounds to come together,” Schantz said.
As people enter parenthood, they often get caught up with their new obligations and find it hard to find the time and space and make art. “There’s this belief that in order to be an artist you have to have a big studio all to yourself,” Schantz said. She hopes to break that notion by expanding Supermoon’s possibilities. “I want this to be a place where both kids and their parents can come and create together.”
For the future, Schantz hopes to continue to grow Supermoon’s collaborative art practices. Though Supermoon isn’t specifically an art gallery, pop-up shows like “Women’s Work” are important as they “remind people they can have access to art,” Schantz explained, where elitist galleries and auction houses often lead us to believe otherwise.
“Women’s Work” will have an opening reception at Supermoon from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. There will also be an interactive family workshop on June 30 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about Supermoon Art Space and their future events, check out their website or Instagram.
All images courtesy of Supermoon Art Space.
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