AMBER DOE | PHOTO COURTESY OF AMBER DOE

Artist Amber Doe recently participated in a month-long residency at Contemporary Craft focusing on a textile medium of study with her 9-year-old daughter in tow, an experience uncommon for mothering artists.

The ability to do so is because of a new nationwide residency program created in partnership between the Lawrenceville-based studio and Sibyls Shrine, a network dedicated to uplifting Black artists who m/other by providing opportunities for radical care, rest and support.

“Residencies are not made for parents,” says Sibyls Shrine founder Alisha B. Wormsley. “You can’t bring your kid or your family, there’s no money for them. They don’t give you child care. Most residencies are set up right for men.

“We are the only residency program like this in the world.”

Contemporary Craft Executive Director Rachel Rearick emphasized how monumental it is for a partnership like this to exist.

“We believe that it is imperative to support and amplify the work of black artists that are m/othering,” said Rearick in an email. “Plus, there is so much to learn from Sibyls Shrine around care and rest; personally, I’m blown away and inspired by this network and how I’ve seen them show up for and care for one another.”

Sibyls Shrine will support three more artists in residencies during the partnership. Funding has come from such organizations as the Frick Park Conservancy and Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida.

“We’ll pay for families, plane tickets, we’ll pay for travel, we’ll pay for accommodation,” says Wormsley. “The partnerships make it really perfect for us because we don’t pay for everything, but we can fill in the gaps that aren’t supported for the family.”

WORK BY AMBER DOE | PHOTO COURTESY OF AMBER DOE

Doe’s residency began in mid-July, and she says having her daughter, Ruby, with her made all of the difference.

“You know what kids do?” Doe says. “They make you hyper-productive when you get your moments of productivity. Because I’d rather have her with me than not with me, right? She’d rather be with me than not with me. So it sort of teaches you to work in a different way.

“Once I go back to being a full-time mommy, her schedule takes over my schedule,” she says. “I had to say no to countless opportunities because it’s not possible to do it without bringing your family.”

In 2026, Doe’s work will be on view during a joint exhibition with Wormsley at Contemporary Craft.

Rearick said the partnership is beneficial for the artists who are able to use Contemporary Craft’s resources and platforms but it’s beneficial for Contemporary Craft as well.

“In return, we are strengthened by learning new practices and welcoming new artists into our community that we might not have otherwise met; and we’re able to then watch tangential relationships form and grow within the studios,” she said.