Artist | Curator | Mover
Artist | Curator | Mover
My experience so far with Covid-19 as an Artist and as a Mother
3/20/20
We had to pack up most of our home. Unfortunately I can’t say why. Then we had to make the
extremely difficult decision of whether to stay in our home or not, while fighting the clock on New
York’s lockdown last week.Deciding how to get a car into the city.
How to get the kids out. If we would be able to fill prescriptions for Luke.
If gas stations were open. If we would be able to get food. If hospitals were overbooked where we were
going. If my mental health would be ok. If the kids would be ok.
Money
Jobs
Kids school
Therapy
ABA
Speech
Everything that everyone is experiencing right now.
3/27/20
Officially done with Week One of this new normal. Just finished putting the kids to bed. I sat down and
looked at the blocks. They had managed to glue themselves to the floor this entire week, but we did it.
We had somehow just accomplished a week of school for a fifth and first grader, including
occupational and speech therapy . Plus being a full time student and Jason having a full time job. From
the time we woke up to the time we went to bed we worked our asses off.
I was going to drop out of school so that I could focus on taking care of my family through this time,
but then I realized I wouldn’t have health insurance. Isn’t that crazy? I am now forced to keep a
position as a full time student in order to maintain my health insurance during a global pandemic.
Luckily, at the beginning of the week I signed a petition at Marymount Manhattan to make all classes
a pass/fail instead of receiving letter grades for this semester. This was a success and it is now being
offered at the college.
I am trying to keep the kids mentally, physically, and emotionally, healthy. I am trying to be real with
my feelings but shelter them from fear. For example, Luke told me he wanted to go home and he
missed our fish Myer last night as we were brushing his teeth. I could not do anything but just nod
and say “me too buddy, this is soooo hard being away from home”.
Kids are resilient. They wake up everyday with a fresh sense of newness and peace.
For The Observer
As for creating, I spent my last night in New York painting a large 60x72 inch canvas. I told myself I
had to paint before I packed regardless of the time. Fiery reds, lucid yellows, I was so angry. I was mad
at everything, everyone, and every particle of space that was breathing. I felt trapped in earth for the
first time.
Look at how we treat ourselves. I fear that this is a consequence of our selfish extractions.
I was mad that I could not feel any instincts on how to treat the situation. Making decisions for
yourself is hard but making decisions for a family is terrifying. The responsibility is so powerful.
Motherhood is so powerful.
We are taking it day by day. We are figuring it out. We are figuring out a lot about ourselves.
I am so thankful for life. The virus, the lock down, the isolation…. It makes me want to hug my family
and never let go. So many emotions.