Designing Motherhood: Things That Make and Break Our Births Exhibition at the Mütter Museum

Maternity Care Coalition presents the first of two Philadelphia exhibitions for Designing Motherhood: Things That Make and Break Our Births, an expansive consideration of the arc of human reproduction through the lens of design over the last century. This exhibition features a variety of medical devices related to human reproduction from the Mütter Museum’s collection of artifacts, paired with contemporary designs. 

Designing Motherhood examines how bodies influence design—from fashion fixations to pain relief—and how design influences bodies. The multi-phase project explores historical and contemporary conversations around reproduction, maternity, and childbirth across communities and cultures. Part two of the exhibition will open in September 2021 at the Center for Architecture and Design. A companion book will be published by MIT Press in September 2021.