Have you ever found yourself wondering WTF is even happening as a postpartum parent? Whether you’ve been a parent for weeks or decades, the Postpartum Playcation Project offers Pittsburgh’s postpartum parents opportunities to name, normalize, and navigate the waves of postpartum parenthood that no one was told to expect and that oftentimes leaves us feeling overwhelmed and undervalued.

You’re invited to enjoy a 2 hour Playcation (think staycation meets adult play date) featuring fun, food, and fellowship. Not sure if you even know what is fun these days? That’s okay! We’ll be chatting while crafting, moving our bodies, and munching while mingling.

And because you shouldn’t have to yet again choose between handling your responsibilities as a caregiver and prioritizing any thread of your own existence, the Postpartum Playcation Project is BYOB (bring your own BABY!) So let us know when registering if you need on-site childcare support to make your attendance possible!

For those who like to know the inside scoop ahead of time so there are fewer surprises, We’ve got your back!

The Deets:

Playcation Session 1: 11:30am -12:30pm

Munching & Mingling Mixer (food and fellowship for all session attendees): 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Playcation Session 2: 12:30pm – 2:30pm

Attendees are welcome to bring their own yoga mat, blanket, or cushion for floor sitting. Chairs will be provided for those preferring an elevated seat. Not sure what to wear? Whatever invites the most comfort and/or joy to your day.

Note: Playcation Sessions 1 and 2 offer the same experience, just at different times to be more accessible. Munching & Mingling Mixer is a social event between sessions. Session 1 attendees are invited to play then eat (11:30am-1:30pm), Session 2 attendees are invited to eat then play (12:30pm-2:30pm). Play pals (that’s you!) are welcome to arrive up to 15 minutes before their session start time. We practice giving ourselves grace and encourage you to do the same – there is no “too late” to show up and you’ll be happily welcomed whenever you arrive.

No one will be turned away for lack of funds – please use the contact button to reserve a no-pay spot. All participants will be required to sign waivers before the evnt begins.

Brew House Association Gallery concurrently host the exhibition, Lay Bare, curated by Zeal Eva. Lay Bare explores the Black experience through the lens of Black women by asking selected artists, Who would you be if you could be your most authentic self? The resulting exhibition speaks to the artists’ current lived and imagined experiences and to the constant duality of both, creating space for others and taking space for the self. This exhibition looks to transform the gallery space into a hub for creative thought, interaction, conversation, and deeper understanding of the Black femme community that exists within Pittsburgh. Exhibiting artists include Black Girl Absolute, Karlissia Council, Ivory Eddins, Juliandra Jones (PBJ Customs), Evangeline Mensah-Agyekum, Bekezela Mguni, Jameelah Platt, and Rell Rushin. Attendees will have the chance to view and experience the exhibition during your Playcation.

About the host:

A new human mama, seasoned fur mama, spunky spouse, stellar sister, trying to be gentler daughter, and fierce friend, Lori Crawford (she/they) is a white woman who navigates each day with the commitment to be as least problematic as possible and strives to be a comedic curator of connection, communication, and collective wellness. As an Inner Parent Pal, Lori helps peeps Adult with more choice, connection, and self-compassion so life can be more livable.

Improviding Life, her business name and the very embodiment practice she’s cultivated, fuses improvisational comedy, various embodiment modalities like Raja yoga, oracle card reading, and Human Design, with her very human experience human’ing. Improviding Life equips Lori to hold a playful, supportive, and empowering space for those wanting to shift out of what she calls Adulting on Autopilot and into living life embodied. They would like to acknowledge and thank Felicia Savage Friedman of YogaRoots on Location and her 200 Hour anti-racist and social Justice based yoga teacher training for helping Lori befriend her body and relearn how to take up space.

Lori shares her Big Auntie Energy on Instagram and TikTok (@improvide.with.lori) and hosts the Improviding Life Podcast to explore how life can be more livable by reconnecting to who and what matters most to you. They envisioned a world where less harm has to be repaired and values commitment, collaboration, and cultivation as a means of bringing this vision to a collective reality. If social media isn’t your thing, reach out at hello@loricrawford.me

Land Acknowledgement: Lori resides on the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee, Lenape, Osage, and Shawnee peoples; the Postpartum Playcation Project is facilitated in the Brew House Association and Iron City Circus Arts facilities occupying these ancestral lands.

Project Funding Acknowledgement: The Postpartum Playcation Project is supported, in part, by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council through its Allegheny Arts Revival Grant. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.