Art can be a powerful tool. It is only in the past year I have learned to use my art making a way to transform my shame into self-acceptance.
Last summer, I returned to my childhood home, an abandoned schoolhouse, to create art from the things my mother hoarded over the years and explore questions she can no longer answer in her current mental state. In transforming my experience of the space and the physical objects into art, I am transforming my relationship to my story, my perspective on who I am and where I am from. Some of the themes I’m exploring are life/death, creation/destruction, and order/chaos being part of the same process.
Third Life, reclaimed wood, 36×60″, 2014
2 years ago my mother was in a bicycle accident, and in returning home to help take care of her, I realized I needed to take care of things within myself and resolve my relationship to my past. My mother suffered severe brain damage from the accident, but with this artistic process I am able to explore questions she can no longer answer. I am using this project as an opportunity to reconnect with my family, to explore the time-capsule of my parents hoarded objects, and find beauty and love in all of it.
Page 1, found paper in wood frame, 36x36x10″, 2015
It is my hope that people take away from this project the importance of shedding light on difficult experiences, accepting all parts of our selves, and sharing our stories. What makes us unique makes us beautiful.
1000 Prayers for my Mother, fabric on metal box spring, 42×72″, 2015
Image Credits
All Images Are © Stephanie Calvert
Stephanie Calvert Artist Bio
Stephanie Calvert is a mixed-media artist based in NYC.
Blog / Website: Stephanie Calvert
Follow Stephanie Calvert on: Twitter
Recent Guest Artist Articles:
- "Listen, I Have Something To Tell You"
- All The Art I Will Never Make
- From My Sketchbook
- When Machines Dream
- Why Did A Bored Call Center Rep Turn Her Art into TikTok Puzzles
Please Share Your Thoughts - Leave A Comment!