Helen Sargeant
Working from my home and studio in Todmorden I investigate and explore my identity as a woman and mother. The focus of my practice draws from my body and lived experiences. I produce ambitious, critical art on my own and in collaboration with others. Ideas drive my practice and I am passionate about access to art, the politics and economics of care and mental health.
I have worked as an academic, curator and producer and delivered socially engaged projects, workshops and short courses. In 2020, I self published, edited and designed Maternal Art Magazine, where 24 artists were invited to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, with a working title of Stay At Home.
I work as an independent artist mentor and have also worked for organisations such as Artist/Mother Network, Thrive Community and Spilt Milk Gallery.
Recent work explores performing in the landscapes of Yorkshire and Cornwall, informed by the work of Barbara Hepworth, Monica Sjoo and Ithell Colquhoun. I am fascinated by wild places, ancient sites, monuments and matriarchial cultures. I am interested in reinventing and interpreting the meaning of these places in connection to my body, maternal heritage and identity. I work alone and with Delpha Hudson as part of our collaborative project Feral Mothers.
Recent exhibitions include Womb, Room Tomb ((2024), Re-naissance, UNIT Gallery London, (2023); Play & Compassion Kingsmill House, Dursley (2023); The Procreate Project Archive, Modern Art Oxford (2023); 60 Drawings +10; The Whitaker, Rawtenstall (2022); This is Essential Work , UWE Bristol (2022); Make Art/ Not Sad, Maternal Art, (2022) and My Mother is beautiful (after Yoko Ono), Linden Art Gallery, Hebden Bridge (2021).
EDUCATION
2000: MA Creative Technology, The University of Salford
1994: BA (Hons) Fine Art: First Class Degree, Winchester School of Art
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2002-2009: The University of Salford, Visual Arts Programme
MOTHERING
2001: First Son Born, two years full-time care work
2009: Second Son Born, five years full-time care work and working as an artist
AWARDS
2024: Brisons Veor, Travel Grant
2023: Curator Space Artist Bursary
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024: WOMB, ROOM, TOMB, Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington
2023: She Sews, UNIT 14, Todmorden
2021: My mother is beautiful (after Yoko Ono), Linden Art Gallery, Hebden Bridge
2013: The Milk and the Blood, Ebor Studios, Littleborough
2013: Milk & Tears, Linden Art Studio, Hebden Bridge
2008: M(other), The University of Salford
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024: Who Cares?, Newark Works, Fringe Arts Bath
2023: Re/Naissance, Unit, London
2023: Play & Compassion, Kingsmill House, Dursly, Cotswolds
2022: SHE SEWS, Unit 14, Artist Studio, Todmorden
2022: MAKE ART/NOT MAD, Curated by Helen Sargeant, Maternal Art
2022: 60 Drawings + 10, The Whitaker Art Gallery, Rawtenstall
202023: Procreate Project Archive, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
22: ‘Mind - be here, present / be here now’, Kingsmill House, Dursly, Cotswolds
2021: Mythical Mother, Curated by Georgie White Winter, Spilt Milk Gallery
2021: Maternochronics, Curated by Emily Zarse
2021: “You are not wonderful just because you are a mother”, Curated by Qiana Mestrich
2019: THE M WORD, DAW, One Paved Court Gallery, Richmond, London
2018 Maternal Attitude, MADE Gallery, Cardiff
2017: Intergenfem, DAW, FiliA, London
2017: Mums the Word, Dysfunction Gallery, Strathaven
2016: Artist As Mother As Artist, Lace Market Gallery, Nottingham
2015: Project Afterbirth, White Moose Gallery, Barnstable 2014: Egg The Womb The Head & The Moon, Linden Art Gallery, Hebden Bridge
2012: Desperate Artwives, Part Two, Leroy House, London
ARTIST PRODUCED PROJECTS
2020:Maternal Art Magazine: Issue 1-Stay At Home www.maternalart.com
2014: The Egg, The Womb, The Head & The Moon, AHRC Funded with support from The University of London, www.eggwombheadmoon.com
PERFORMANCES
2024: Mother As Monolith, Priests Cove, Ballowall Barrow, St Helen’s Oratory, Cape Cornwall
2023: Motherhood, Magic & The Men An Tol, Madron Moor, West Penwith, Cornwall
2016: Dust To Bread, Artist As Mother As Artist, Lace Market Gallery, Nottingham,
2016: M(other) & Son, Islington Mill, Manchester
2010: The World's Wife, Todmorden- Playgroup, Friends House, GP, Woods
COLLABORATIONS
2023-2024: Feral Mothers, performing in the landscape with Delpha Hudson
2019: Maternal Journal www.maternaljournal.org funded by The Arts Council
2014-2020: Desperate Art Wives Collective
2012-2014: MEWE Arts Collective www.mewe.org
RESIDENCIES
2024: Mother as Monolith, Brisons Veor, Cornwall
2023: Motherhood, Magic & The Men An Tol, Cornwall
2022: HER TIME, An artist residency in motherhood, Todmorden
2022: SHE SEWS, Artist/Mother Podcast Mini- Residency
2017: PLAY AWAY, The Mothership. Dorset
2016: M(other) & Son, Tampere, Finland funded by The Arts Council
ARTISTS BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS
2020: Mother/Daughter
2020: Hysteria 1 & 2
2015-2016: M(other) Stories, Helen Sargeant www.motherstories.co.uk
2010: First Born
2009: M(other)
PUBLICATIONS
2023: An Artist And A Mother, Edited by Tara Carpenter, Kaylan Buteyn, Heidi Moller Somson, Demeter Press
2022: Positive Wellbeing Zine for Mums, Edited by Emma Cottam
2020: Maternal Art Magazine, Issue One: Stay At Home by Helen Sargeant, Maternal Art Press
2021: Maternal Journal by Laura Godfrey-Isaacs & Samanatha McGowan, Pinter & Martin
2021: Mothers, Mothering, and COVID-19: Dispatches from the Pandemic, Edited by Andrea O ‘Reilly and Fiona Joy Green, Demeter Press
2020: Creative Review, British Journal of Photography, Issue 7899 - Family
2020: Maternal Art Magazine: Issue One - Stay At Home, Editorial
2020: Milked Magazine: Issue One
2019: Woman UP!, Podcast, Desperate Art Wives
2018: Straight outta vagina, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, MIDIRS Midwifery Digest
2016: New Maternalisms: Tales of Motherwork (Dislodging the Unthinkable) edited by Roksana Badruddoja and Maki Motapanyane, Demeter Press
2016: Taydellinen ympyra, Mother Art: text by Saara Sillanpää and Helen Sargeant, article, Pages 22- 25, Tampere Arts Association Magazine.
2016: Live Art and Motherhood, A Study Room Guide on Live Art and the Maternal, Compiled by Lena Simic and Emily Underwood-Lee
2016: Brood Issue 4: Riding The Reindeer by Helen Sargeant & Naoise Sargeant
2016: M/OTHER VOICES Column: The Miserable Mother by Helen Sargeant
2015: Water Birth, Stories to Inspire & Inform, Edited by Milli Hill
2014: Studies in the Maternal: Volume 4
CONFERENCES & SYMPOSIUMS
2023: Maternal Bodies, The University of Birmingham
2022: 60 Drawings + 10, The Whitaker Art Gallery, Rawtenstall
2022: 'Mothers, families, and COVID-19- Building Back Better’, Demeter Press
2021:Mythical Mother Exhibition Panel Discussion, Spilt Milk Gallery
2021: The Missing Mother, The University of Bolton
2020: Artist Talk, The University of Bolton
2019: The Other in the Mother, Perinatal Health, The Manchester Art Gallery
2018: Maternal Attitude, The University of South Wales, Cardiff
2017: The Pregnant Archives, Birkbeck University, London
2015: The Motherhood & Creative Practices Conference, London
2013: Motherhood in Post-1968 Women’s Writing: Cross Cultural and Interdisciplinary, University of London
2013: Starts & Ends of Life, Arts & Social Care, The University of Salford
INTERVIEWS/ TALKS
2021: Artist/Mother Podcast: 96: Continuing to Connect and Care during the Covid-19 Pandemic with 4 European Artist/Mothers – Artist Mother Community (artistmotherpodcast.com)
2019: Woman Up! Podcast, Episode 12 Woman Up! Episode 12: Helen Sargeant (youtube.com)
MENTORSHIP
2021-2023: Spilt Milk Gallery
2021- 2022: Artist/Mother & Thrive Network
2020-2024: Independent
WORKSHOPS
2024: Owl Women drawing and collage, Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington
2023: Stitch Workshop, Maternal Bodies Conference, The University of Birmingham
2023: Stitch Workshop exploring identity, Hoot, Huddersfield
2019: Maternal Journal Launch, Drawing Workshop & Artist Talk, Somerset House, London
2017: Creative Birth: Body, Collaboration with Laura Godfrey Issacs, Zen Buddist Centre, London
2016: Dust To Bread, Artist As Mother As Artist, Sherwood, Nottingham.
2016: Drawing From Birth, Nativity Hub, 105 Union Street, Leeds.
