Body Autonomy: Art for Social Change Project (2022)

Body Autonomy Series

These works are about body autonomy. They are large scale paintings and assemblages featuring ready mades to help depict the emotional experience of being overpowered due to gender. These works address topics such as sexual assault, the history of womens rights, marginalized communities, and state and federal laws about gender and abortion rights.

This series was premiered as part of a larger project known as Art for Social Change. ASC was a community project hosted by me and the expressive arts leadership group in the AIRY program. Each year, the group chooses a theme on using the arts for social justice. This year in response to the overturned Roe v Wade decision, and the powerlessness that so many of us feel, we chose to turn our energy into using the arts to process feelings, mobilize for action and make change relating to having choice with our bodies. The project also examined broader themes in society and culture particularly around human rights and what freedom means, individually and collectively. We aimed to help empower people to express their voice in a safe, supportive and trauma-informed environment; to use the arts to help promote social justice; and to explore creative ideas for making change and shifting cultural perceptions.

Trigger warning as to content: nudity, themes of sexual assault, violence, abortion. My works lie in between my identity as an Artist and my identity as an Art Therapist. Since the overturning of Roe v Wade I became compelled to speak out in my art about my own experience of teen rape, about the oppression and history of women’s rights and marginalized communities, and about societal perceptions and laws in our country related to gender identity and abortion rights. This is balanced with my need to safeguard anyone from traumatic experience, which is not my intent. I thank you for understanding.