The exhibition, officially opened by Baroness Luciana Berger, is a collaboration between the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) and award-winning artist Carolyn Mendelsohn. Through intimate portraits, audio interviews and written accounts, the collection reflects the diverse, often unspoken, experiences of women before, during and after pregnancy.
Baroness Luciana Berger, a former Shadow Minister for Mental Health, highlighted the significance of the collection during her opening speech:
“Maternal mental health has been overlooked, misunderstood and surrounded by stigma for too long. It is crucial that we have these conversations and this exhibition is a vital space for the honest, compassionate dialogue we need to be having to break down those barriers.”
Professor Vicky Karkou, Director of the Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing at Edge Hill University added:
“Maternal health is extremely important and, despite the fact it relates to so many women, the public view often glorifies this experience without allowing space for the concerns, fears and complications that can arise.
“This exhibition is a great compilation of stories where things did not go as expected. It signifies our long commitment to the power of the arts to bring important messages to the public, and it reflects our deep commitment to women’s health.”
The exhibition was presented alongside Edge Hill’s own research on motherhood, covering topics to do with emotional and physical health, connection and relationship-building and the use of the arts and arts therapies to enable communication and healing. It also served as a backdrop for the end-of-year celebration of the Arts4Us project, the UK’s largest study into how creative arts can support the mental health of children and young people.
Professor Sandeep Ranote, Clinical Director for Mental Health at NHS GM Integrated Care Board, noted the transformative power of the arts:
“Mental health is the single largest cause of disability facing us and will affect one in two people across their lifespan. One in four mothers suffer with mental ill-health, but many still suffer in silence and shame despite increased awareness. Through the shared language of the creative arts, we can begin to truly communicate and understand the experiences of all mothers and harness the power of creativity to remove stigma and to heal.”
Artist Carolyn Mendelsohn reflected on the courage of the contributors:
“This commission gave me a rare chance, as an artist, to reflect on my own lived experience too. I collaborated with ten women, creating a series of portraits, still-life images, audio stories, and an installation of muslins imprinted with their words and accounts of real-life experiences in their own handwriting. I feel so honoured to have worked with these extraordinary women, who shared their stories with such honesty and courage.
“More than anything, I hope these portraits help open up conversations so that others feel heard, supported and know they’re not alone.”
By highlighting these lived experiences, the exhibition creates a necessary space to reflect on what motherhood truly holds, fostering understanding and challenging the isolation often felt by those navigating their own mental health journeys.
July 10, 2026
