BAGGAGE, 2018

“If someone is assaulted, or experiences trauma, there is science and scientific proof (it’s biology) that people change. The brain changes and literally what it does is it take the trauma and it puts it in a box and it files it away, and shuts it so that we can survive … the pain. And it also does a lot of other things. It can cause body pain. it can cause (you know) baseline elevations in anxiety. It can cause complete avoidance of not wanting to even remember or think about what happened to you.” - Lady Gaga

This piece is about making the invisible visible … not necessarily unlocking the trauma, but simply recognizing its presence. The Kavanaugh hearings were a trigger for women the world over. Physical, emotional, verbal, psychological trauma can be buried and forgotten but that does not mean it is benign — our bodies don’t forget. We carry it with us as diligently as handbags and jewelry.

BAGGAGE was created in 2018 with the support of a McKnight Foundation Next Step Fund grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and was included in “PERMISSION” solo exhibition at Finlandia University Gallery in Hancock, Michigan from November 29, 2018 - February 15, 2019.