College of Physicians of Philadelphia (Mütter Museum)

The Mütter Museum will present the exhibition Spit Spreads Death: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19 in Philadelphia to engage the public in a fuller understanding of the impact and civic responsibility related to pandemics and health crises. The exhibition will use contemporary art, data analysis, and visualization as a foundation to inspire critical thinking among audiences about current and future health issues. The museum has collaborated with a historical curator, art curator, and artist group to develop an implementation plan for the exhibition which will be built on data from over 20,000 death certificates. The exhibition will also feature an art film, digital interactives, objects and photographs, personal stories, and contextualized historical and public health information. The exhibition marketing and related programming, targeting high school students and teachers, and young visitors ages 19-30, will test the effectiveness of employing targeted neighborhood-based promotion and programming to build new audiences.