It's 3:00 a.m. No way to sleep. Imaginary bedbugs chewing at me. The air is oppressive, like being buried alive. The cries of asthmatic children sniffling, screaming, sleep-talking keeps me on edge. In semi-darkness I wander among the beds, seeing mothers wrapped around their babies, like bears in hibernation. In one lower bunk, I find an exhausted mother, Pam, rocking her wailing week-old daughter. Pams face glows with inner peace. She is one of the lucky ones. She escaped an abusive relationship and found shelter here. Olive Branch Mission, Chicago.

1999

Donna Ferrato

Associated Names
Donna Ferrato

Artist, American, born 1949

The image shows a woman holding a baby, both visible from the waist up. The woman is sitting upright, cradling the baby close to her chest. Her facial features include soft, attentive eyes and a calm expression, with short, light-colored hair framing her face. She is wearing a T-shirt with a partial graphic visible. The baby, wrapped in a light-colored blanket, is resting peacefully against her, with a small face turned slightly outward. The background includes a crib with vertical wooden bars and several hanging pieces of cloth, with a dimly lit room providing a sense of intimate, personal space.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Gift of Donna Ferrato)

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 40.5 × 50.5 cm (15 15/16 × 19 7/8 in.)
    image: 33 × 49.1 cm (13 × 19 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.5139

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Donna Ferrato, New York; gift to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2009; acquired by NGA, 2015.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1999

  • The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, December 4, 1999 – January 30, 2000

Inscriptions

on verso, signed by artist, across center in graphite: © Donna Ferrato

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