MotherShip Studios: A new world of music and art collaboration

By Saige Klein

Blog Content Contributor

MotherShip Studios is a women-built, owned and operated art studio here in the San Marcos area that has recently been a hub for local music events and studio tours.

MotherShip opened its doors in 2021, but they have been putting work into it since 2019.

Alicia Philley is a local artist who has been working in the greater Austin and San Marcos area for many years now. She is also one of the first artists to be a member of MotherShip.

“Jackie and her partner when they started up MotherShip, the idea was they had rented this warehouse and they were gonna build out lots of spaces,” said Philley. “ I reached out to them and said I was super interested, and then you know the pandemic happened.”

The pandemic halted the growth of many businesses. MotherShip Studios was no different. After the first year, they got back to working and building out plans for the studio.

“They ended up just building my space first because I was ready to move in and could help make it happen, but I know their goal had always been to build more spaces and have other artists working here and start to create something more than just a workspace,” said Philley.

After living in New York and moving back down to the Texas area, Philley has been working as a local artist ever since getting to collaborate and fuel her creativity.

“For a while, I was the only artist working in the building, and I was so happy when they started to build out other spaces and have other artists start to join the community; it made it feel a little less lonely,” said Philley.

Jessamyn Plotts, who works with MotherShip as the Texas State Liaison and also as a professor at Texas State in the department of art and design, has been able to showcase her art at MotherShip while also being able to connect parts of the San Marcos community.

After graduating from TXST, Plotts loved the idea of being able to work with the university and the community of San Marcos to help bring a different light to the world of art.

“As I got more comfortable working here in San Marcos, I wanted to get involved with MotherShip because it’s a really great center for community, not just for art but for other things like the university and community working together,” said Plotts.

Plotts was asked to join the board and took on the role of coordinating between the art department at TXST and MotherShip. Plotts has been able to work with students here at TXST and give them internship opportunities at MotherShip.

“I’ve worked with a group of students over the last six months to put on a big student-led exhibition for the studio tour. We had five interns at MotherShip that were all Texas State art and design students,” said Plotts.

Recently, MotherShip has been able to collaborate with local bands and music groups to use the space for a more youthful audience. In October, they hosted an event by thanks4exsisting that featured many local bands, DJs and artists who were displaying their art.

MotherShip will also be hosting an exhibition called Finding Our Way Home on May 31, 2025. The exhibition hopes to explore the “complex landscapes of displacement, resilience, and connection that shape our understanding of place and community.”

This summer, MotherShip will be hosting a monthly movie night that will lead up to the Haunted House exhibit that they will be doing in the fall. Each movie that they show will be an example of the vibe and experience of the exhibit.

Both Philley and Plotts hope to bring a positive and diverse outlook on the world of art and bring the San Marcos community together in a unique way.

“It really helps to bring a different kind of energy here and have the opportunity that’s being created for more events and creative ways of bringing community together,” said Philley. “It just feels really good to be a part of that.”