Support Mom Wisdom by Alicia Mersy

“Mom Wisdom is an archive of portraits and interviews with 66 mothers in New York City. Photographed on 35mm film in the spaces where they live and create—homes, studios, sublets, gardens, buildings—each image is paired with excerpts from our conversations, offering fragments of their wisdom on motherhood.

Every photograph in this book is developed and printed by me, by hand, in a darkroom in the city. This isn’t just about capturing an image it’s about spending time with the mothers I document, picking the right colors, playing with the chemicals, testing, printing… It lets me stay close to each mother and their teachings while I’m building the book. Each print carries the rhythm of my hands and the mothers energy and wisdom. This book is dedicated to all the women who raise this City. This book is dedicated to all the mothers with stars in their eyes and who love super loud.” – Alicia Mersy

At the beginning, when I gave birth

I didn’t want to be near mothers

I didn’t want to talk about

diapers and strollers and milks

I wanted to stay an artist

But then I started to feel a gap

I realized I need mothers

I need their wisdom

So I opened my eyes, 

I took down my guards and my filters

and I started walking around

New York City to find

unapologetic nomadic wild

hearted free spirit city

mothers.

About the artist

Alicia Mersy’s practice includes video, installation, photography and spiritual exploration. She uses the camera as a conduit for understanding others—strangers, friends, and loved ones—while creating space for conversation, collaboration, and education. Mersy examines repressive social and political structures, self-representation, and technology as a means to forge new pathways of understanding between unlikely parties. In this vein, her work becomes a locus for healing and personal and collective peace, where free spirits, radicals, revolutionaries, artists, and the audience come together to build solidarity and understanding. 

Why we are fundraising

Alicia Mersy has teamed up with Speciwomen to raise support for:

  • Pre-poduction (scanning, printing, editing)

  • Production and editorial (sequence, design, printing costs and supplies)

  • Public release and distribution

This is a self-published artist book made with care and devotion. Any amount you give will help us bring all the mothers stories to life, and share it with audiences across generations and geographies.

Please help us reach our goal and help this project come to life.

Speciwomen Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations made are fully tax-deductible and will be followed by a tax-deduction receipt.

3% Cover the Fee