CONDUIT: Doug Safranek and the World Mother Storytelling Project
January 24-April 19, 2026
Conduit, a multi-media arts initiative of the World Mother Storytelling Project, poses the question: what is mothering? Through the interplay of listening and storytelling, Conduit expands our understanding of care, nurturing, and human connection. Luminous egg tempera paintings by artist Doug Safranek bring together a rich ensemble of community members across generations and cultures.
Originating at the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling in Harlem, New York, Conduit features thirty portraits of Sugar Hill neighbors combined with immersive soundscapes. In their own voices, individuals and families tell multifaceted stories–moving, delightful, and sometimes challenging personal experiences that recognize mother figures in their many forms.
These portraits, along with eight new portraits of Spokane residents commissioned by the MAC, come to life alongside community narratives, inviting us to slow down and consider the universality of mother.
Conduit was created by the World Mother Storytelling Project and organized in partnership with the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling. Exhibition tour management by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA.
Supporting Sponsors
Steve Jones
Debra and Bruce Howard
Image: Doug Safranek (b. 1956), Irma-Estel, 2022–2024, egg tempera on panel, 24 x 24 in. Collection of the artist. Image courtesy of the artist.
About the Artist
Doug Safranek (b. 1956)
Doug Safranek is a master egg tempera painter and the artistic force behind Conduit, a multimedia initiative of the World Mother Storytelling Project, which premiered at the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling in New York City in 2024.
Raised in Spokane, Safranek studied at Boston College and Gonzaga University before earning his MFA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he began his lifelong dedication to the demanding discipline of egg tempera—an ancient medium using egg yolk and pigment applied in fine, layered strokes. Over the past four decades, he has refined this technique both in his Brooklyn studio and as an instructor at the Art Students League of New York.
Safranek’s practice has long explored urban landscapes, still lifes, and portraiture through a reverent lens. But Conduit marks a turning point in his career. Through this project, he has discovered a profound avenue for social engagement—channeling his classical training toward a deeper mission: using art to honor maternal wisdom, preserve memory, and inspire shared humanity.
His work is held in major public collections including The New York Historical Society, The Museum of the City of New York, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is the recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, the E.D. Foundation Award, and the Gold Medal of Honor from the Allied Artists of America.