Glorious Mothers residency: art, care, and collective motherhood at Castello Cabiaglio

The Glorious Mothers, a collective of visual artists, held their second residency at Castello Cabiaglio in Varese province, Italy, in 2023. The residency, titled Acquiferae, focused on water and bodily fluids, exploring the female body and motherhood through workshops, private meetings, and community dinners. Twenty-four participants, including mothers and children, engaged in a program that integrated childcare into artistic practice, challenging the traditional solitary artist myth. The residency highlighted the difficulties artist-mothers face, such as lack of institutional support, inadequate spaces for children, and the need to balance care work with creative production. Unlike typical residencies, this one provided meals via two cooks but relied on local hospitality for accommodation, with villagers hosting participants. The collective, which includes Sara Basta, Cristina Cusani, Grossi Maglioni (Francesca Grossi and Vera Maglioni), Mariana Ferratto, Caterina Pecchioli, Lorena Peris, Dafne Salis, Miriam Secco, and Angela Viola, aims to create a supportive community and plans to develop a public program across Italian cities. The residency also featured a workshop on squirting and drew on Sumerian matrilineal narratives. The experience underscored the need for art institutions to accommodate parents and children, advocating for co-education spaces, childcare at events, and recognition of care work in artists' curricula.