Adrift in the Sea of Tranquility

About the Work

From the Artist

My work is an exploration of questions for which I find no easy answers. Usually, I use a variety of materials and media to build narratives or depict the complexity of situations not easily resolved. Recently, my work has focused on the relationship of motherhood, and the absence of motherhood, especially how women without children fare in a world that values women largely for their fertility.

I became sensitized to the relationships between these conditions as my own mother began to exhibit signs of dementia. As we age, how do we negotiate the role reversals inherent in coping with parents who live beyond the point at which they can care for themselves, as they become, like small children, individuals cared for by their own children, now adults? Finding no simple answers, I hope my work stimulates a dialogue about these difficult issues. 
_{—Excerpted from http://www.miriamschaer.com/artist-statment, accessed 7-5-2021}