In this episode of Mother And …, installation and performance artist Beili Liu discusses how motherhood has shaped her artistic vision and practice. Liu’s work explores themes of cultural memory, migration, and environmental change, often weaving together personal experience and urgent social concerns. She reflects on her daughter’s role as both inspiration and collaborator, and on the ways parenting has become a source of learning and growth in her creative life. Liu shares insights into works such as "Each and Every," which responds to the family separation crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, "Hold On," which addresses gun violence in schools, and "Arctic Mending," which draws attention to climate change. As both an artist and educator, Liu emphasizes nurturing empathy, resilience, and civic responsibility in her students, qualities she also cultivates in her parenting. This conversation is part of the Mother And … exhibition, on view at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center in Kansas City from September 5 through November 21, 2025.
