March 1 marked the beginning of Women’s History Month, and in St. Petersburg, Florida, there’s a museum not just dedicated to women but to moms.
Mary Havlock has only been a mom for 18 months but already appreciates the impact the Museum of Motherhood, also known as MOM, is having on the community.
“Walking past the museum, I had to do a double take because I was like, ‘Museum of Motherhood,’ that’s me, that’s a museum for me," Havlock told Scripps News Tampa. "I’m here with my stroller with my infant twins."
The museum has been a 20-year endeavor by St. Petersburg mom Joy Rose, who was running it out of her own home until late last year when she found the perfect space for it.
“The Museum of Motherhood is actually the first of its kind. We basically cover the last 250 years of American motherhood,” said Rose. “We know museums only have about 11% women in their collections, so it’s time to get visible.”
How Women's History Month became an international celebration
It started in New York City in 1909 as National Woman's Day. Now, Women's History Month is celebrated with events worldwide.
The Museum of Motherhood is a nonprofit run on volunteers and donations, focusing on mom-inspired history, science and art.
“My mom inspired this, and so I titled it ‘Mother,’ and so I thought it was only fitting that I dedicate it to the Museum of Motherhood,” said artist Sierra M. Clark, referring to a painting hanging on the wall.
MOM is also very interactive, where you can try on a pregnancy simulator vest.
“I want to change our tagline to, ‘Mom, the heartbeat of St. Pete,’" said Rose.
She added the thing that stands out most to her is the voices she hears from visitors in the community.
“A lot of people can take for granted and not realize how much work goes into motherhood,” said Havlock.
“I’ve been waiting for a space like this all of my life,” Clark added.
“MOM is free and open to the public, you can make a donation, and we have some sponsorship opportunities, but basically we are just there for you, we want to see you, we want to meet you, we want to hear your story,” said Rose.
This story was originally published by Robert Boyd at Scripps News Tampa.
