I know my kid, and I know the Walker collection pretty well, so I should be able to predict what’s going to appeal to him. I don’t always get it right. Here are a few surprise favorites:

What I Thought Would be Fun: Claes Oldenburg’s bright yellow, giant-sized Geometric Mouse on the terrace outside Gallery 8.

What Really was Fun: Sol Lewitt’s room-size paintings of geometric shapes that cover the walls inside the café.

Why? O. liked the mouse, but wasn’t wowed by it. He was learning his shapes at school, so circles, squares, and triangles were a big deal in his world. It was exciting for him to see the shapes writ large and to realize that a grown-up artist liked them as much as he did.

What I Thought Would be Fun: Sigmar Polke’s fairy-tale painting of falling snow, Mrs. Autumn and Her Two Daughters.

What Really was Fun: Julie Mehretu’s super-detailed painting, Babel Unleashed.

Why? Like many kids, O. loves maps and aerial views and is crazy about airports and construction sites. While it looks unfamiliar and chaotic from a distance, up close, Mehretu’s painting is packed with details that O. finds fascinating. It was like a super-sized seek-and-find puzzle.

What I Thought Would be Fun: Dolphin Oracle II, the interactive talking dolphin by Piotr Szyhalski and Richard Shelton.

What Really was Fun: Dolphin Oracle II, the interactive talking dolphin by Piotr Szyhalski and Richard Shelton.

Why? It’s an interactive talking dolphin.

I am five years and two kids into being an artist and a parent, and I still wonder if it is really possible – or advisable – to pursue an art career. Considering the demands on my attention and time, should I really be spending much of either on my art? I was curious about how other mom/artists I know navigate the often-conflicting demands of domestic and artistic life.

Images by Beth Dow (L) and Jessica Rath (R)

I emailed questions about the art/life puzzle to two friends: Jessica Rath, a mother-to-be and LA-based artist with an upcoming exhibition at the Torrance Art Museum, and Beth Dow, parent of a twelve-year-old and a fourteen-year old, who recently had a solo exhibition at Franklin Art Works in Minneapolis. Here are some excerpts from our conversations.

Margaret (MPG) Jessica, what are you thinking – will it be possible to combine art & motherhood?

Jessica (JR): I never thought I would have children. I decided in my 20s that first I wanted to make art, then it would be nice to find a partner and then, only if the partner was mature enough and ready to do 50% of child care, would I even consider children. Frankly through my 20s, this seemed like an impossibility. I would say this is very much a team effort between myself and Joe, my husband, who has a low maintenance day job and runs our household. We discuss and adjust our time schedules to make as much room for my studio practice as possible, while I hold down two part time jobs. It will be possible, but I will have to continue to make it a priority and will need reassurance from my partner that this road is something he supports.

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