The Multiple Hats of Modern Motherhood

Our University of the Streets Café public conversations are much like any you’d have with friends or family around a dinner table, except with more people, more points of view, and slightly more structure. Conversations are hosted by a volunteer moderator who is there to welcome everyone and keep things on track. To get things started, there’s a guest, or sometimes two, who get the ball rolling by sharing their ideas, experiences and questions. After that, it's all up to the participants.

How has the role of motherhood evolved in relation to emerging shifts in our understanding of gender roles? This conversation will consider whether motherhood can still be considered an institution. How can motherhood be understood as an integral part of one’s identity, and the extent to which it fosters one’s commitment to community engagement? What are our individual and collective narratives of motherhood?

Guests:
Marie-josée Katcho is a mother and primary caregiver to Elysia 14 and Xavier 12. She is a pastry chef and director of a bakery as well as a part time yoga instructor. She tries to keep up with the fast pace at which these main characters in her life are moving and evolving. Observing her life from a 'yogic' perspective allows her to work at understanding what parenting means to her and her children and tries to extend this amidst her significant interpersonal relationships; co-workers and friends.

Laura Endacott is a practicing artist whose research explores women’s contemporary identity by focusing specifically on the subject of motherhood.  Her activities include her production, her teaching, conference presentations and writing. Her recent work considers the body as an archive. As such she in interested in social life and articulations of agency using performance. She considers her work to be in the tradition of storytelling.

Moderator:
Carmen Ruiz is a choreographer, dancer, teacher and producer and mother of two. Originally from Colombia, she situates her artistic practice as a spark for the body in motion and the re-invention of individual and collective narratives. Along with her partner Sebastian Mejia, she founded the non-profit organization Girovago, which has the mission to support art in motion. Since 2012 she is the artistic co-director and manager of Montreal performance ensemble Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra.

Accessibility info: Café l’Artère is on the ground floor and can be accessed by a ramp. There are two gender-neutral washrooms equipped with grab bars.