A Revolution of Tenderness
A Review of
The Mother Artist: Portraits of Ambition, Limitation, and Creativity
Catherine Ricketts
Hardcover: Broadleaf Books, 2024
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Reviewed by Katie Selby
Some of my favorite friends are artists. I think about the particular work of these friends and the genre of art doesn’t seem to matter – watercolor, sculpture, writing, textiles, pottery– there is a peculiar way that my artist friends see the world that is profound and beautiful. Not to mention, they tend to be souls who are gentle, kind, and wise– people whose presence is nourishing. Artists inspire me to be softer, and more generous to those around me. And I think we are all quite aware that we need extra inspiration to be soft and generous with those around us.
Cue the entry of a new artist friend, Catherine Ricketts, who has been such an encouragement to me this year, via her new book The Mother Artist: Portraits of Ambition, Limitation, and Creativity. In her opening pages, she invites her readers to imagine what it might mean to be part of a “revolution of tenderness,” a phrase that has been stuck in my mind since I first read it in the spring. What could it look like if communities committed to a way of being that is nurturing, that refuses to succumb to hurry and hyper-drivenness, that pauses to see the small nuances of changes happening in our midst, that finds meaningful ways to stand with the most vulnerable in our midst?
I should also say at the outset of this review: this book is not only meant for mothers and/or artists. (Though, these two themes together are the main reason it caught my attention). Though her tone is thoughtful and reflective, Ricketts’s perspective isn’t sentimental and rosy, nor does it address themes that are accessible solely to mothers. She invites readers to broaden their perspective by advocating for a view of motherhood that is more muscular, hardy, and holistic. She looks clear-eyed at the grit of humanity, and is resolute in her conviction to keep her gaze soft. This book is for anyone, everyone; if you have a mother, this book is for you.
Ricketts’s book aligns its course with the path of motherhood, with chapters as markers that correspond with relevant themes (and forgive the preview of the Contents page– but the full chapter names illustrate a more comprehensive sense of the book’s scope):
Pregnancy: The Body’s Strange Beauty
Pieta: The Loss of a Child
Labor: Witnessing Birth
Infancy: Exposure and Retreat
Sex: Motherhood and Desire
Balance: The Working Mother
Vision: Seeing Like a Mother
Advocacy: The Political Power of Portraiture
Weaning: The “Awful Dichotomy”
Ambition: Defining Achievement
Community: The Art of Gathering
Perseverance: Why We Keep Making
Additionally, Ricketts’s work highlights several diverse female artists whose mediums include photography, paint, sculpture, linocut, and performance, just to name a few. Each chapter highlights the work of 1-3 artists who beautifully embody the chapter’s title. You will be familiar with some of the artists mentioned– Marilynne Robinson, Toni Morrison, Joan Didion– but also introduced to a body of invaluable work that you are not familiar with. Additionally, there is a 16 page section in the middle of the book with high resolution, full color images of artwork by several of the artists whose work Ricketts highlights.
Listening to the wisdom of women is a key part of understanding the best ways to care for and engage with the difficult climate in which we find ourselves. Words have become the well-beaten path that is our primary outward expression of our inner being. Words, words and more words. Words are important. They are crucial. But I’m also wondering if Catherine Ricketts (and so many other artists) are onto something: that perhaps our close attention to good works of art and even the act of creation itself are avenues that allow us to be formed into better humans, aware of of our peculiar nuances, and more importantly, keenly aware of and attentive to the needs of those around us.
Katie Selby is Associate Editor of The Englewood Review of Books. Prior to her family‘s recent transition to the Englewood Christian Church community, Katie served various churches and organizations in Nebraska, East Tennessee, India, and Ethiopia. She is an M.Div. graduate of Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan University.
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