Stewarding Stories: Reflections from the Black Women's Dept. of Labor Project & Podcast

Join Taja Lindley in Atlanta (or virtually!) for the Black Maternal Health Conference! She will presenting a session entitled:

Stewarding Stories: Reflections from the Black Women's Dept. of Labor Project & Podcast

Saturday, September 14, 2024 

Breakout Session Block D

10:00am - 11:30am ET

Room: Ascot

The Black Women’s Dept. of Labor is a project and podcast developed by Taja Lindley that has successfully delivered 2 seasons of content exploring the historical, sociocultural, political, economic, and personal context of Black people birthing. 

During this session, participants will learn more about the successful storytelling techniques rooted in Black feminisms that are used to craft episodes and develop the accompanying art projects. Techniques include but are not limited to: stewarding stories with dignity; the art of listening; creative and artful practices for presenting qualitative data about Black maternal health experiences.

This session includes a presentation of two artworks addressing Black women breastfeeding – “Pump & Feed” and “Invoice #001.”

Participants who attend will learn more about compelling and evocative art and culture tools and strategies for discussing Black maternal health publicly, creatively, and accessibly. This is useful for folks who are interested in building narrative power and employing cultural organizing strategies in their organizations, work, and communities.

Click here to register and learn more.

Pump & Feed: A Call & Response Community Conversation

Join Taja Lindley during Black Maternal Health week for a free virtual event - a public program to accompany her participation in the Old Stone House’s contemporary art exhibition, MAMA NEEDS A RAISE! 

This event begins with a screening of “Pump & Feed” followed by an artist talk and community conversation about Invoice #001. Both works address the labor of Black women breastfeeding – past and present – and are part of her Black Women’s Dept. of Labor project and podcast.

Lindley will be co-facilitating this event with Nicole JeanBaptiste: an educator, full-spectrum doula, oral historian, Founder of Sese Birthing Freedom and Co-Founder of the BX Rebirth and Progress Collective.

Sunday April 14th, 2024

3:00pm - 4:30pm ET

Click here to register.

Exhibition: Mama Needs A Raise

Mama Needs a Raise! 

Toward a “Utopian” Care Economy

Exhibition dates: March 24-May 12, 2024  

Opening Reception: March 24, 3-5pm

Open Hours: Friday-Sunday, 12-4pm or by appointment

336 Third St, Brooklyn

Curated by Katherine Gressel of the Old Stone House and Shweta Bist, Kim Hopson and Jocelyn Russell of the Mother Creatrix Collective 

This group exhibition at The Old Stone House in partnership with the Mother Creatrix Collective (MCC) addresses the needs and wants of caregivers. Exhibiting artists consider such questions as, What would comprise a “Utopian” society that better recognizes and supports both caregiving and art-making? What role can artists play? The exhibition includes the six members of MCC who were invited to respond to these prompts, plus ten additional artists whose work addresses these themes from diverse perspectives in all media, including original site-specific and public art. Mama Needs a Raise! builds upon both MCC’s previous shows about the unique challenges (and strengths) of artist mothers, and OSH’s ongoing Brooklyn Utopias series that invites artists to envision ideal communities. It is distinguished by its focus on improving conditions for people with diverse caregiving needs.  In a country with few supports for families (or, increasingly, for family-building) and even fewer for artists with families, the title Mama Needs a Raise! suggests not only the need to adequately compensate caregivers, but the need to raise their perceived value, visibility and collective voice. 

Taja Lindley will be debuting two new works in this group exhibition: a performance film adaptation of her live performance ritual "Pump & Feed" and Invoice # 001 - the first in a forthcoming series of conceptual invoice archival prints. Both works address the labor of Black women breastfeeding – past and present – and  are part of her Black Women’s Dept. of Labor project and podcast.

During Black Maternal Health Week, Taja will be offering a free virtual program about her new works. Click here to learn more.

The show includes work that unpacks the myriad forms of unpaid “invisible” or “emotional labor” that parents face at all life stages, including their relationship to such factors as race, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status and disability. Other artists propose both real and imagined “Utopian” alternatives, from collective childcare to paid leave to an art world that actually welcomes parents. The majority of exhibiting artists are either spearheading or collaborating with concrete efforts toward community and advocacy for caregivers, and include in their work specific calls to action and creative platforms for visitors to document and share their own thoughts and experiences.