Still Parents: Life after Baby Loss

24 Sep 2021-4 Dec 2022

Still Parents, 2021, Photograph. Credit: Courtesy of Lisa Porch

Overview

Still Parents
Life after Baby Loss

Still Parents is the first exhibition of its kind, creating a platform to share personal stories open conversations and break the wall of silence that continues to surround baby loss.

The exhibition has evolved from the work the Whitworth’s award-winning Still Parents project, which supports parents who have experienced the loss of a baby in pregnancy or just after birth.

This is a constituent-led exhibition, where every aspect from curation to interpretation has been informed by our project participants. Throughout two exhibition galleries, you'll find a combination of artworks and objects, created, chosen from the gallery's collection, or loaned by our participants. And, it is their personal stories and responses, written in their own words, that are shared with you.

Launched in October 2019 in partnership with Sands (Stillbirth and Neo-Natal Death Charity), the Still Parents project is a continuing series of informal monthly workshops. Under the guidance of professional artists, the programme encourages participants to collectively explore their experience through creativity. Making and doing is at the heart of these sessions as participants are introduced to new techniques and skills whilst surrounded by people who understand.

The Whitworth’s proximity to Tommy’s Stillbirth Research Centre and Manchester’s largest maternity centre means the project is well placed to reach out to those experiencing baby loss. Its impact extends beyond the programme and has set in motion ‘ripples’ that support wider family and friends as well as the NHS and bereavement services.

As a Constituent Museum, the Whitworth aims to transform the way that art is experienced and used, by using art as a tool to open conversation, generate empathy and actively address what matters most in people’s lives - here and now.

The Whitworth is incredibly grateful to both Manchester Sands and the Friends of the Whitworth for generously supporting the Still Parents programme and exhibition.