BRIDGING THE GAP

ART EXHIBITION · JULY 10 - AUGUST 7

WASHBURN ARTS CENTER

at GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY
800 FLORIDA AVE NE, WASHINGTON, DC 20002

Circle-shaped painting by artist Tessla Thompson depicting a warm rose-copper-toned mamma breastfeeding her baby against a lavender purple background.
Below the painting is the text:
"BRIDGING THE GAP ART EXHIBITION
Friday, July 10 --> Friday, August 7, 2026
Washburn Arts Center at Gallaudet University
800 Florida Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
DEAF & HARD OF HEARING BREASTFEEDING WEEK 9/16-22"
The momma wears an emerald spaghetti strap tank top, and her hair is a bob cut of natural dreadlocks and a crown of white stars. White ribbons spread out from her supporting arm which holds her baby. Faint symbols in gentle blues and pinks fade into the lavender background and include symbols for the African Adinkra symbol, the moon, home, peace, leaves, healthcare, healing, money, resistance, love, scales, and empowerment.

ARTISTS

Starr Baker

Fred Michael Beam

Theda Clesceri

Julee Dickerson-Thompson

Susan Dupor

Mencie Y. Hairston

Ellen Mansfield

PDurr

Kristen Schell

Tessla Thompson

Hannah Wheatcroft

Bridging the Gap is a Collaboration of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Breastfeeding Collective, DC Breastfeeding Coalition, and Anthropology of Motherhood

DEAF & HARD OF HEARING BREASTFEEDING WEEK: SEPTEMBER 16-22, 2026

The Virtual Exhibition & Social Media Launch for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Breastfeeding Week will be coming September 16-22, 2026.

Image Description: Anthropology of Motherhood logo depicts the abstract outline of a bare-breasted mother looking down at their baby in bold, thick, black strokes.

AN ONGOING PROJECT

ANTHROPOLOGY
of MOTHERHOOD

Anthropology of Motherhood is an ongoing curation of artwork and design that engages in the complex visual, material, emotional, corporeal and lived experiences of motherhood, care-giving, parenting, nurturing and maternal labor.

“We must expand the definition of motherhood - motherhood in physiology, socio-economic terms, gender, and race.”

— Flan Flaherty, AoM Founder

Background Video by Sarah Shotts.

SUPPORT ONGOING PROGRAMMING

ANTHROPOLOGY of MOTHERHOOD

DONATE

Since 2016, Anthropology of Motherhood has provided ongoing curation of artwork and design that engages in the complex visual, material, emotional, corporeal and lived experiences of motherhood, care-giving, parenting, nurturing and maternal labor. As an annual hybrid amenity/exhibit at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, our message and aesthetic of the Culture of Care has reached thousands of viewers, instilling the value of caregivers and the importance of prioritizing compassion and care in our daily lives. Our exhibits have traveled to McDonough Museum of Art, Sleeth Gallery and will be exhibiting at Dyers Art Center in Rochester, NY in 2023. With support from the Opportunity Fund (Pittsburgh) and in collaboration with the City of Asylum, we recently concluded our speaker series, Culture of Care inviting artist-caregivers from around the world to share where caregiving and receiving intersects with their practice.

We are excited to announce a partnership with Amherst College Press to develop a full color edited volume of Anthropology of Motherhood with an expected publish date of Fall 2026, in time for our 10th year anniversary.Your generous support will allow us to continue our work through exhibits, programs, and our upcoming book.

Thank you.

“I want to make sure that we are more in tune with the principles of the social model of disability and continue to use the arts, not only to showcase and develop the artists within Wales, but also capture opportunities to highlight social injustice.

All arts are in some way political [with a small ‘p’] and have a function beyond admiration and entertainment. They capture moments from beauty to suffering, they affirm and motivate us, they mirror society to raise concerns, and give us hope in our shared humanity.”

— Ruth Fabby, Disability Arts CYMRU

“Indigenous people have stewarded Alaska for thousands of years. Their holistic understanding of the environment created a sustainable and symbiotic relationship with the waters, plants and animals of the land.”

“Land Acknowledgment is the public recognition of this knowledge and care. We look to Indigenous Elders and their youth for guidance. It is only Indigenous ways of being that will ensure our collective future.”

— MELISSA SHAGINOFF, of the Udzisyu and Cui Ui Ticutta clans in Nay'dini'aa Na Kayax

“How I can create more opportunities in public spaces where mothers can practice patience, care and grace on and for themselves?”

— Jessica Moss, Artist