Canton Art Exhibit Explores Motherhood's Many Faces

Becoming a parent changes your perspective on everything, but it doesn’t have to stunt your growth as a person.

Artist Carole Epp took this philosophy to heart after she gave birth to her first child 11 years ago.

“I feel like I’ve been more productive as an artist since having kids than I was before because it’s that one thing that I’m doing for myself,” Epp says.

Her two kids helped spark “Crowned in Guilt and Love,” a sculpture inspired in part by thrift-store figurines. It’s included in the three-piece series Epp created for the Canton Museum of Art’s exhibit Crowns: Crossing into Motherhood.

Open until March 8, the show dives into the intersection between the roles of “artist” and “mother.” Epp works through issues such as finding balance between guilt and letting go.

“I was raised Catholic, so that kind of [ideal mother] iconography was a part of my upbringing, which I’ve walked away from,” Epp says. “A lot of my work in this series is about Catholic guilt and then motherhood guilt. That guilt is the kind of thing that’s kept on in my life.” 1001 Market Ave. N., Canton, 330-453-7666, cantonart.org