Once upon a time I wrote, I am no more animal than when I am nursing.

In my book MILK, I wrote of Louise Bourgeois; her mothers and spiders and fierce headless-canines. I explored mythical wolf mothers, the lore of semi-divine babies fed by deer.

I’ve been plotting a creative workshop around this theme for ages. But I realised, while running the Picturing Mothers workshops last month, that all the images we were looking at depicted humans, in one form or another.

I wondered where thinking with the animal would lead us?

So this one-off workshop invites us to explore our own animality.

In this session, we will dive into the evocative world of Louise Bourgeois, whose sculptures and drawings use the spider as metaphors for motherhood, protection, resilience, and the complex dynamics of womanhood and familial bonds.

Learning more about her work, we will also use these images as visual prompts to reflect and explore our animal selves through guided creative writing and discussions.

When

Thursday 5th November 10am - 11am, UK Time

Where

Zoom!

This is a live experience and will not be recorded. This is intentional: the discussion and intimacy of the group is central to the workshop. Slides will be shared with all participants afterwards.

Tickets

Please choose the tier that reflects your current circumstances.

• Community ticket — £8
• Standard ticket — £13
• Supporter ticket — £22

Why me?

Led by me, Dr. Joanna Wolfarth, an art historian with over 13 years of experience, this workshop series blends my academic expertise with personal insight.

I currently teach art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art and The Open University. I previously lectured at SOAS, University of London, University of Leeds and Fulbright University Vietnam. I am the author of Milk: An Intimate History of Breastfeeding (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) and write and teach on art, gender, culture and motherhood. My work has been featured in The Observer, Hyperallergic & Wellcome, and reviewed favourably in The Sunday Times.

‘as a cultural historian Wolfarth is excellent at detailing how motherhood changes her perspective of art . . .’ Francesca Angelini ― THE SUNDAY TIMES

Feedback from Previous Workshop Attendees

'Your perfectly curated session was so ideally pitched and felt like a real treat. I felt very held and that was your incredible facilitating/hosting.'

'Thank you for the art history context to the imagery  - the whole course was accessible and unpretentious.'

'I absolutely loved it! It was very accessible to people without any art history background. And it obviously gathered thoughtful participants. I could happily attend three days on this!'

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this workshop for?
Anyone interested in art, history, feminism, visual culture, motherhood or identity. You don’t need any prior knowledge of art history, just curiosity and an openness to discussion.

Do I need to be a mother to attend?
Not at all. The workshop is relevant to anyone interested in these ideas, regardless of their own experience of motherhood.