Bye, Bye

So i guess it's over, feeling relief and anxiety all mixed together. I have one more studio class yet to take this summer and of course still writing my thesis (barf). I am glad to be done with core classes as I found the social stresses to be almost unbearable. Hoping this summer will be a good one.

Art of Connection

The above pieces were created by artists at C4 and are the culmination of my work at this site: Ron B., David C., Pat C., Rawhide C., Traci D., Amanda E., Darlene F., Marvin G., Lynn H., Elizabeth H., Richard H., Judie I., Amy J., Brenda J., Michele M., Tanjila P., Anna P., Isabel R, Joanne R., Cecil S., Lenny S., Jennie T., and Chayce V.

C4 (Community Counseling Center of Chicago) is a community organization that serves a diverse group of people with a variety of mental health needs. Participants in the Art of Connection show are members of art therapy groups at C4 who share a common belief that art making and self-expression are essential components of mental health. The projects presented in this show are meant to capture the expressions, thoughts, feelings and imaginations of this community of people.

Art Belongs to Everyone is dually influenced by the work of the Chicago based street artist collective “You-Are-Beautiful,” and the “Learning to Love You More” project formed by Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher. Responding to the suggestion to “make an encouraging banner” in the LTLYM project, and utilizing the format of the “You-Are-Beautiful” project, artists at C4 collaborated in brainstorming and selecting positive messages that everyone in the group felt connected to and inspired to promote. Each letter is made by a different artist with a material of their choice. Art Belongs to Everyone is one of several banners made. The others include the statements “Everyone Matters,” “We All Belong,” and “Art is Essential.”

The Multi Panel Project is the product of an art directive asking participants to identify the people, places, ideas, and events that have been influential or important in their lives. In response, art therapy group members completed up to six 4” x 4” panels. The project is intended to explore the specific and unique things that have influenced each member. When viewed together, the images create a beautiful patchwork of complex interactions.

Pipilotti Rist

Wikipedia says: During her studies Pipilotti Rist began making super 8 films. Her works generally last only a few minutes, and contained alterations in their colors, speed, and sound. Her works generally respond to issues related to gender, sexuality, and the human body.

In contrast to those of many other conceptual artists, her colorful and musical works transmit a sense of happiness and simplicity. Rist's work is regarded as feminist by some art critics. Her works are held by many important art collections worldwide.

I say: oooooooooohhh pretty.

GULP

sorry, ummmm...no need to panic, right??

i miss oregon

just feeling nostalgic, i guess.

I know what social action is not....

here is a project completely ignoring the social context within which it exists. Operating on assumptions of power and privilege; colonizing a neighborhood of displaced and disenfranchised people; the artists appear to be totally ignorant of the racist, classist implications of what they are doing. I can't help but think about all the money invested in these "instillations", all the materials used, all the time and energy invested and i wonder to what end? If anything the project highlights the cavernous distance between the "haves" and "have nots" by juxtaposing the mindless excesses of consumer culture against a backdrop of real poverty.

What is Social Action anyway??

Presently, I think my greatest struggle is in wanting to approach art therapy from a social action perspective, but having a rigid idea of how this looks and feels in practice. There is a gap between the ideology with which I ascribe and my ability to apply or interject this approach in my internship setting. Social action, to me, means recognizing the intersecting roles that race, gender, class, sexuality and other systems of oppression affect and inhibit an individual’s quest for empowerment. It is an approach that shifts the focus of treatment from deficits and diagnosis to an emphasis on strength and possibility.