Cleveland Museum of Art’s New Exhibit Spotlights Motherhood

Cleveland Museum of Art’s New Exhibit Spotlights Motherhood

Picturing Motherhood Now examines contemporary interpretations of motherhood against the backdrop of the CMA’s encyclopedic collections,” says William M. Griswold, director of the CMA. “Visitors to this compelling exhibition will understand how these artists challenge traditional representations of motherhood and how they diverge from historical treatments of the theme.”

“The subject of motherhood touches every human life—and its representation has been a major theme throughout the history of art,” says Emily Liebert, curator of contemporary art. “Images of motherhood reflect the eras and cultures in which they were created, and the art of the present is no exception. The artists whose work is in Picturing Motherhood Now cast new light on our own time.”

“This presentation also includes exciting newly commissioned work as well, including new work by artists Wendy Red Star, Carmen Winant and M. Carmen Lane,” says Nadiah Rivera Fellah, associate curator of contemporary art.

Picturing Motherhood Now unfolds in four thematic sections. In each, representations of motherhood explore a different facet of contemporary culture and society.

  • Missing Pictures features artwork focused on aspects of motherhood that have been absent from traditional images of the subject. The paintings, photographs and sculptures here introduce multiple identities, social realities and humble details of everyday life. In particular, Missing Pictures highlights the growing number of artists who have in recent years represented Black and brown motherhood, offering positive and empowered images of these mothers and addressing the inequalities and injustices within their histories.
  • The artists in Making and Matrilineage preserve matrilineal and Indigenous artistic traditions that are passed down from one generation of women to the next. Their work animates and carries forward in time maternal knowledge and histories of making. Some artists use found or family photographs, while others engage with tradition through materials such as clay and thread. All the artists celebrate mothers as the leaders and maintainers of cultural traditions.
  • For the artists featured in Mother Tongue, language and narrative are the primary mediums to animate strong female protagonists. The stories that unfold in this section span generations. While they often focus on individual experiences, they point to collective social histories relating to ecology, land use and issues of economic equality.
  • Kinships celebrates unconventional ideas of motherhood and family. The artists in this section give form to maternal lineage that is not necessarily biological, nor even rooted in normative gender identities. They show the ways that heritage can be anchored instead by shared values, politics and artistic ideals.

ArtLens App Tour
A special ArtLens App tour will highlight 10 objects from the CMA’s permanent collection that depict mothers and maternity from antiquity to the 20th century.

Download the FREE App: ArtLens App (ArtLens Download Instructions) is available to download to iOS9 or higher and to Android devices (5.0+).

Exhibition Tickets
Adults $12; seniors, college students with ID, and children ages 12 to 17 $10; member guests $6; children ages 11 and under and CMA members FREE.

Groups of 10 or more people may reserve tickets for $10 per person. No guided tours will be offered. To book a group, contact [email protected].

Tickets can be reserved online at cma.org, at the box office or by calling 216-421-7350.

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