The Art of Care is an Exhibition Proposal Series show that brings together the talents of writer, organizer, and artist Cameron Russell and photographer Mei Tao to explore the profound intersection of caregiving and creativity. Through a combination of photography, crafts, and participatory elements, this exhibition examines the overlooked value of care work.

From quilts and toys, to storytelling and music, meals and home remedies, haircuts and styles, the type of art created by the caregivers featured in this exhibition is often unseen and undervalued beyond immediate circles. These works challenge capitalist notions of art and value by reframing caregiving as a deeply creative practice whose practitioners can be extremely skilled and from whom art and culture help sustain life. They remind us that value doesn’t require something to be sold, and beauty doesn’t need to be bought. The Art of Care establishes art as care and care work as art in a time when the wisdom and the work of caregivers are seen as expendable rather than invaluable.

Featured in the show are luminous photographic portraits and still lives that provide unique glimpses into the art and art practices of caregivers. From a quiet expectant moment before early childhood educator Mary Louise Bedard begins a puppet show in Where are you Mrs. Bedard?, to the joy and connection of improvisation between mother, educator, and musician RoseLove Joseph and daughter Ilani Ma’at Neter in She Sings To Me And I Sing To Her, these pieces amplify how the life-giving nature of care work is inseparable from its artistry.

Inspired by the groundbreaking ideas of artist Mierles Ukeles and informed by poet and writer Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s disability justice framework, this exhibition emphasizes the urgent need to recognize care work as central to our survival and fulfillment. By blending text, photography, and participatory elements, The Art of Care transforms perceptions of caregiving from invisible labor to a celebrated and collaborative art form that is essential to humanity.

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About the artists

Cameron Russell is a writer, artist, organizer, and parent to Kohli, Asa, and Shola. Her book, How to Make Herself Agreeable to Everyone, a political coming-of-age memoir reflecting on twenty years of work and organizing in the fashion industry, was published this year by Random House. Her next book is set to explore themes of care work, gestation, and climate catastrophe.

Mei Tao is a photographer and mom to Dashiel. Her photography career has existed in public through her work in fashion, and in private through decades of documenting her daughter, her family, and the children and families of her close friends. She has returned to her personal work for decades to tell stories about girlhood, home, how we become, and how we remember.