A Story of Hope: Exploring Journeys of Complex Motherhood Through Art at Newcastle Cathedral

Mothers share their journeys through art in an exhibition on child removal, resilience and healing at Newcastle Cathedral.

A Story of Hope: Exploring Journeys of Complex Motherhood Through Art at Newcastle Cathedral

The exhibition is the culmination of six months of workshops led by artist Harriet Mee and Her Circle, a support organisation for mothers at risk of child removal, in collaboration with Newcastle City Council.

It premiered as part of a special event at the Cathedral about women and child removal on Thursday 6 March, ahead of International Women’s Day, and the display coincides with Mothering Sunday on 30 March, offering a space to reflect on the diverse realities of motherhood.

The exhibition is hosted by the Cathedral Lantern Project, which seeks to work and walk alongside people facing difficult circumstances in life.

The Revd Canon Zoe Heming, Newcastle Cathedral’s Canon for Mission, said:

“The Cathedral Lantern Project embodies our mission to uplift voices that are often marginalised.

“We hope that by bringing these narratives to light, we can create a safe and compassionate space where stories of struggle and resilience can be shared and heard.”

Artist Harriet Mee said:

“These women have gone through so much – trauma, healing, therapy – but they want to show that it really is possible to turn lives around.

“Some of them got their children back.

“One woman in our group had her children removed twice in very different circumstances. But now she’s fully free of addiction and has a stable home, and she is on that journey to heal her relationship with her daughter.

“She’s doing all sorts; she’s turned everything around. It’s incredible. These women are really inspiring.”

The exhibition features large-scale works from three women deeply involved in the project (who have chosen to remain anonymous), alongside sketches and smaller pieces. The themes of sisterhood and resilience are explored through different mediums, including self-portraits, fabric-based art and symbolic imagery.

The exhibition also features poetry produced by the women and digital art.  A full anthology of the women’s poetry can be purchased from the Cathedral retail space.

The exhibition will be on full display at Newcastle Cathedral until 31 March.

The work in the exhibition has been funded and supported by Newcastle City Council Artist Residency Programme 24/25, Newcastle City Learning (Funded by North East Combined Authority), Digital Voice for Communities and Newcastle Cathedral.

A longer form version of this article is available here. You can read about each of the artworks via Harriet Mee’s website and learn more about the Cathedral Lantern Project here.

Photos: North Star Images