M(otherhood)s

M(otherhood)s brings together more than a millennium of art, poetry, and film to explore the many ways mothering — by birth, by choice, by circumstance, and by community—takes form across cultures and generations. From the ancient Indian sculpture The Goddess Lajja Gauri and the Renaissance vision of the Holy Family to bold contemporary works by LaToya Ruby Frazier, Judy Chicago, Tracey Emin, and Titus Kaphar, the exhibition invites reflection on care, identity, resilience, and the complicated realities that live alongside love. The works span painting, photography, print, sculpture, video, and the written word, creating a conversation between the intimate and the political, the historical and the now.

Rooted in the museum’s teaching mission, M(otherhood)s is shaped in collaboration with Denison faculty and students across history, literature, psychology, education, gender studies, and the arts. Visitors will encounter an expanded view of motherhood not as a biological role but as a broader experience — one that includes stories of chosen family and caregiving networks, and those who mother in ways often overlooked. The exhibition holds space for joy, struggle, absence, dissent, and deep connection.

Alongside the exhibition, a season of programs — including author talks, poetry readings, film screenings, and community dialogues — offers opportunities to engage these themes with a fresh perspective. Whether you come for the art, the stories, or the conversations, M(otherhood)s invites you to reflect on the timeliness and timelessness of this topic.

Thank you to the many artists and groups that made this exhibition possible.

• Ellen Bass
• Traci Brimhall
• Victoria Chang
• Kai Coggin
• College of Wooster Art Museum
• Ajanae Dawkins
• Kendra Decolo
• Jess Dugan
• Tracey Emin
• Stephen Friedman Gallery
• Gagosian
• Kelly Grace Thomas
• The Gund at Kenyon College
• Joy Harjo
• Hope College, Kruizenga Art Museum
• Xavier Hufkens
• Titus Kaphar
• Kennedy Museum of Art, Ohio University
• Julia Kolchinsky
• Hyejung Kook
• Keetje Kuipers
• Danusha Lameris
• Laura Larson
• Library of Congress
• Ada Limon
• Erika Meitner
• Luisa Muradyan
• Kaitlynn Redell
• Sheilah and Dani ReStack
• Favianna Rodriguez
• Miriam Schaer
• Therese Shechter
• Maggie Smith
• Caroline Walker
• Annie Wang
• Carmen Winant