ARTIST STATEMENT
These pieces are a part of my new motherhood series. This series delves into all the aspects of motherhood – pregnancy, delivery, postpartum anxiety and depression, caretaking and all the messy emotions that go with it. I have three children of my own, two of whom were born since COVID. My middle child was born early May 2020, so that was an experience that I will never forget. In the Twin Cities, we were seeing an uprising after George Floyd’s murder and all the pandemic cautiousness. I distinctly remember heading to the hospital in the middle of the night (Mother’s Day coincidentally) and seeing so many buildings boarded up, gas stations with security fences and hopeful signs sprinkled all around the city. When we got to the hospital, my husband and older son had to wait outside until reinforcements came to take my son, as he was not allowed into the hospital. That was just the beginning of trying to navigate motherhood with a newborn in a pandemic.
Motherhood can already be such an isolating experience, even if you have a support system. The pandemic ripped that away, and for someone who was already dealing with depression and postpartum anxiety, things got really tough. Through medication and my art, things turned around. This work is my way of sharing my experiences with these things and hopefully creating a space to make it ok for other mothers and caretakers feel safe to talk about theirs. I believe art has a way of creating these spaces, where it is ok to be vulnerable and honest.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Cory Favre is a visual artist living and working in the Twin Cities. She completed her undergraduate degree at Ball State University in Muncie, IN and the Women’s Art Institute Studio Intensive at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, MN in 2019. She has been awarded two Minnesota State Arts Board Grants, an Artist Initiative Grant in 2020 for her White Knuckled Project and a Creative Supports Grant in 2022 for her ongoing motherhood work.
Cory had a drawing focus in college, but has been working in oils the last few years. Most recently, she has been adding embroidery and felt elements to her practice. Inspired by social issues, particularly those facing women, her work touches on many hard subjects. With her use of bright colors and fun imagery, she is able to bring these topics into the conversation in a way that is approachable.
© Cory Favre