Titled "Motherwork," the piece is a tribute to the vital health care services provided by midwives throughout Alabama’s history. The cast-iron sculpture showing eight pairs of life-size hands clasped together to form a circular, shield-like shape, with an open space between the hands that allows light to pass through. From the side view, the sculpture curves outward, resembling the swollen belly of a
pregnant woman. Each pair of hands is cast from a real-life midwife or obstetric nurse.
The sculpture will be permanently installed in the museum’s Robert Thrower Medicinal Garden, along with the other sculptural portraits by Livingston: "Portrait of Bessie McGhee," depicting a beloved Poarch Creek midwife and herbalist; and "Portrait of Dr. James A. Franklin, Sr.," showing one of Mobile’s first and most successful African American physicians.
The Mobile Medical Museum is located at 1664 Springhill Ave. in Mobile. Visit www.mobilemedicalmuseum.org for more information.
