Oklahoma art exhibition Impression by artist Marissa Raglin is featured at the Oklahoma Hall
of Fame from Oct. 10 to Dec. 19. The works beautifully explore the complexities of motherhood in art through Raglin’s personal journey as a mom of two, including one child who has complex medical needs. This poignant exhibit invites viewers to connect with the universal experiences of joy, resilience and the shared journey of motherhood.
Exploring motherhood in art
Motherhood is an art. Sometimes messy, often joyful, occasionally painful. Feelings of failure and triumph coexist. There’s not one way to mother, and motherhood is beautiful in its many iterations. When we view motherhood as art, rather than a competition or something to be compared, we’re better able to see the beauty in sharing our experiences, gleaning hope, resilience and support from each other. Motherhood was never meant to be experienced in isolation.
These refreshing sentiments are powerfully portrayed in the new exhibit Impression by (my talented friend and former MetroFamily colleague!) Marissa Raglin. Opened on Oct. 10 and running through Dec. 19 at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Impression is a heartfelt tribute to the nuanced role of mothers, informed by Raglin’s journey as a mom of two boys, one of whom has complex medical needs.
A journey of resilience
Raglin’s youngest son spent nearly the first two years of his life in the hospital. In the few-and-far-between moments when she could carve an hour or two for work, her art helped her process all that she and her family were going through. Her ethereal collages show the trajectory of that two-year timeline and evoke a sense of both community and isolation — feelings many mothers can relate to.
“What started out as two challenging years spent in the hospital with our son became a transformative process,” Raglin shared. “I wanted to remember those head spaces that kept me sane. Eventually, as I adapted to our new normal, I picked up a paintbrush. At one point as I was working, I was fueled by gratitude and excitement after my son had been off the ventilator for 24 hours for the first time. You start to see more vibrancy in my work at that point.”
Collaboration and community
Raglin’s work challenges the viewer to reflect on our unique experiences while recognizing the universal nature of motherhood. To drive that point home, Raglin invited four artists, also mothers, to collaborate with her in this exhibit. Much like a childhood game of telephone, one artist passed a piece of their art to the next, with each piece informing the following.
Raglin’s inspiration for this method came from a moment at the hospital, as she was rushing to be with her son, when a mother and child held the elevator door open for her.
“When I was in this robotic state, they held the door open and smiled at me, and that informed my whole day,” said Raglin. “I’ve tried my best to move forward, holding doors open for others. I’ve tried to mimic that here — asking, ‘How does one artwork inform another?’”
Raglin first created a piece called “Juggle,” encapsulating her feelings of performing
in a high-stakes act, all while trying to feed her kids, change her son’s tracheostomy tube and keep the family running.
“I wanted to portray the exhaustion and complexity of juggling family life,” Raglin shared, using heavy lines and deep red tones to convey the weight of this experience.
“Juggle” was passed to oil painter Mary James Ketch, which informed her piece “Dropped the Ball.” The painting addresses the stigma of women trying to keep everything in the air. “Dropped the Ball” informed a poem by Angie LaPaglia called “Light on in the Kitchen,” exploring how a mother’s work is
never done. The poem was passed to mixed media artist Denise Duong, whose work explores her life before she became a mother. Finally, ceramist Liz Boudreaux created a tea set evoking sweet sentiments of the bond between mother and child.
“From that starting point of frustration and performance, the series ends with a delicate drip of tea for two with her and her child,” said Raglin. “This collection is a testament to the strength and resilience of mothers.”
A mother’s strength
Raglin and her fellow artists’ honesty and vulnerability shine through their work, inviting
the viewers to confront our own challenges and triumphs. They also delve into the need for moms to take time for our mental health, activities that bring us joy and self-care.
“As a mom, I find studio time is rare,” Raglin shared. “But those precious hours of creativity, condensed into short bursts, spark so much inspiration. I can feel when I need to get into the studio to work through my feelings. I’m so thankful to have a support system. But getting into the studio and making this show happen was hard. And I hope people resonate with the idea that moms can do hard things.”
And as a bonus for younger visitors, a corner of the exhibit invites guests to create a piece of
art themselves. Materials and instructions encourage visitors to make a collage that can either be left at the museum for other guests to enjoy or taken home to display.
I was deeply moved by my conversation with Raglin about how her life as a mother has
informed her work, but I was even more moved seeing the art in person. This beautiful exploration of motherhood is a must-see for moms!
For more information about Marissa Raglin’s work, visit mraglinart.com.
