SAIC Galleries, 33 E. Washington St.
Curated by The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling class of 2021, Reconstructing Care challenges current paradigms of care within the field of art therapy and beyond. Care is conceptualized as a constantly evolving process, understood through resistance, access, amplification, community care, generational care, and self-care. As therapists entering the mental health field during a global pandemic, we examine the ways care has adapted to online platforms. We interrogate systems of care that perpetuate oppression in order to recenter marginalized voices and actively reimagine how we care for ourselves, our communities, and each other.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling exhibition originated in 1999 at the Roger Brown home and studio. Previously referred to as The Art of Connection, recent cohorts have responded to and expanded on this title. In considering our own ethics of care, we have become the first cohort to make the conscious and collective decision not to include client artwork in our show. We strive to sustain a critical, intersectional, and reflexive practice.
Viewers are invited to investigate their own ideas of care as they access the exhibition online and in-person. Please visit sites.saic.edu/maatc2021/ for the virtual exhibition.
Participating Artists: C.a.m. Beltran, Courtney A. Bennett, Annalise Castro, Isissia Drake, Christina Marie Heyworth, Emily Holmes, Sanya Jaffer, Tabitha Kunkes, Katherine Vincent Lamb, Poppy Liu, Zemaye U. Okediji, sofía a. rosales juárez, Amanda Sanabria, Amethyst Strivelli, Danielle Swan, Johanna Tesfaye, Jessica Walters, Susannah Ward, Laura B. Young
[Image courtesy of the MAATC class of 2021]
