Thesis Research, 2013
"[Wo]mannequin: Female Adolescent Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Rediscovering the Body"
Abstract:
This is an art-based research study that focuses on body image regarding African American adolescent women who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Survivors of CSA may exhibit diverse symptoms after experiencing sexual trauma such as shame, guilt, and low self–esteem; such symptoms can continue into adulthood and influence the individual’s self-esteem and body image throughout life. The research question I propose is the following: How can creating a [wo]mannequin or female mannequin in art therapy help African American adolescent women survivors of sexual abuse improve self-esteem about their body image? In addition to the psychological, emotional, and physical impact that sexual trauma may cause other factors can complicate self-esteem and body image. Therefore, this art therapy intervention explores: the experience and aftermath of childhood sexual trauma, adolescent development, body image, self-esteem, self-worth, art therapy practices, and the African American history concerning Black women and their bodies.
* The following are images of the process of this project
This is an art-based research study that focuses on body image regarding African American adolescent women who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Survivors of CSA may exhibit diverse symptoms after experiencing sexual trauma such as shame, guilt, and low self–esteem; such symptoms can continue into adulthood and influence the individual’s self-esteem and body image throughout life. The research question I propose is the following: How can creating a [wo]mannequin or female mannequin in art therapy help African American adolescent women survivors of sexual abuse improve self-esteem about their body image? In addition to the psychological, emotional, and physical impact that sexual trauma may cause other factors can complicate self-esteem and body image. Therefore, this art therapy intervention explores: the experience and aftermath of childhood sexual trauma, adolescent development, body image, self-esteem, self-worth, art therapy practices, and the African American history concerning Black women and their bodies.
* The following are images of the process of this project
Thesis Presentation, 2013
"Black Adolescent ...In Art Therapy"
Rumble Arts Center, Chicago, IL
May 27th-June 30th
Artist Statement:
My arts-based inquiry focuses on African-American adolescent women survivors of sexual abuse in a high school based program. “I set out to investigate: How can creating a womannequin or female body form in art therapy help African-American adolescent women survivors of sexual abuse promote greater self-worth about their body image? My research is rooted in societal stereotypes, African-American history, and the adolescent’s sexual trauma experiences. To support them, I will also engage in the art-making process by creating a body form of my own.”
* The following images are from the exhibition.
My arts-based inquiry focuses on African-American adolescent women survivors of sexual abuse in a high school based program. “I set out to investigate: How can creating a womannequin or female body form in art therapy help African-American adolescent women survivors of sexual abuse promote greater self-worth about their body image? My research is rooted in societal stereotypes, African-American history, and the adolescent’s sexual trauma experiences. To support them, I will also engage in the art-making process by creating a body form of my own.”
* The following images are from the exhibition.
Master of Art Therapy Art of Connection, 2013
"The Self-Discovery of Creative Black Souls"
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sullivan Gallery
Artist Statement
The female body. The body is delicate, yet solid. It can be bruised, yet has the power to heal. The body is the container that holds our emotions, thoughts, and memories. The body is the ethnographer that documents and records our lives. The Self-Discovery of Creative Black Souls is a work in progress focusing on the return to the body and our herstory- a processing of the information that the body carries through photographs and a 3-D representation of the African American female body. This exhibition explores a search for a deeper understanding of who we are as young Black women. The form of the figures is a collaborative process and each artist focuses on different female- related topics through the use of various art materials. Photography is used to record our journey with the body and further understand the relationship we have with our bodies. The target of the photographs and these figures is to exhibit a mind, body, and spirit connection through self-discovery, identity formation and body image.
The female body. The body is delicate, yet solid. It can be bruised, yet has the power to heal. The body is the container that holds our emotions, thoughts, and memories. The body is the ethnographer that documents and records our lives. The Self-Discovery of Creative Black Souls is a work in progress focusing on the return to the body and our herstory- a processing of the information that the body carries through photographs and a 3-D representation of the African American female body. This exhibition explores a search for a deeper understanding of who we are as young Black women. The form of the figures is a collaborative process and each artist focuses on different female- related topics through the use of various art materials. Photography is used to record our journey with the body and further understand the relationship we have with our bodies. The target of the photographs and these figures is to exhibit a mind, body, and spirit connection through self-discovery, identity formation and body image.