Fran Flaherty is the creator and co-curator of *Anthropology of Motherhood* and formerly served as the Director of the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf. As a first-generation immigrant mother from the Philippines and a Deaf artist, her work centers on issues surrounding migrant family relations and assimilation, maternal feminism, disability aesthetics, and social justice. Her practice is inspired by the care paradigm—a belief that human beings cannot thrive in isolation and that our progress as a species stems from our identity as social beings. It was this vision of communal care that led her to create *Anthropology of Motherhood*, an ongoing project that elevates caregiving through fine art by transforming mundane caregiving objects into valuable art forms, including paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works. Fran Flaherty is also a member of the #notwhite collective.
In her teaching practice, she is guided by principles of inclusivity and accessibility, community and collaboration, empathy and emotional intelligence, critical thinking and creativity, and mentorship and advocacy. Her work is held in collections such as Smith College Art Museum, Dyer Arts Center for the Advancement of Deaf Culture, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, and Carnegie Mellon University’s Archives.
Interests: Disability Arts and Justice, Maternal Feminism, Equity and Inclusion