“I can’t tell you how to be a mom,” said Andy DuCett. It was the Saturday before Valentine’s Day, a few days before the “State of the Art” exhibition opened at Mia, featuring DuCett’s Mom Booth. And DuCett needed some volunteers—he needed some moms.
Andy DuCett with his mom behind him and other volunteers at the opening of “State of the Art” at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in 2013.
DuCett, based in Minneapolis, has become a regular contributor to Mia’s galleries. Mom Booth, in which real moms offer advice and Kleenex in an installation resembling a cross between a general store and Lucy’s psychiatry stand from the Peanuts, debuted a few years ago at Mia, commissioned for an event during the “More Real” exhibition. It was included in the original “State of the Art” exhibition organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Now it’s back. During the hour-long “training” session, DuCett talked about its development. How he conceived the piece as a counterpoint to the traditional information desk at museums, where you go to get help navigating the galleries. Where do you go to get help and guidance in life? Mom. In its original incarnation, the Mom Booth sat in Mia’s lobby near the information desk, offering an immediate contrast. Now the booth sits across from the ticket desk at the entrance to the State of the Art exhibition, repeating the juxtaposition.
DuCett was raised in the Midwest and wanted to present a semi-stereotypical view of a Midwestern mother—the debut booth was staffed, or “mommed,” by DuCett’s own mother and two of her friends. But as the artwork has evolved, so has his vision for the mothers behind the desk. Anyone who identifies as a mom is welcome to volunteer. If you think of yourself as a mother figure or filling a motherly role to humans (not pets), you’re in, regardless of biological relation or gender.
At Crystal Bridges, one mom brought in clean unfolded laundry and asked visitors to help her fold it (she was busy—moms are always busy). Another surreptitiously dropped a few Lego bricks on the floor and told visitors to clean up their toys before they went into the exhibition. Be yourself, DuCett told his wannabe moms—or perform. Or do a little of both.
DuCett had a few suggestions: bring something meaningful, a quilt or a book to share with visitors. Sit and read, or do a crossword puzzle. Approach visitors or wait for them to approach. There’s no wrong way, DuCett said, to be a mom.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Mom Booth, please complete this on-line form.