The creative space
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Art and wellbeing in the shadow of trauma, grief and loss
Anne Riggs, 2010
Reproduced here with the Author's kind permission. No part of this article may be reproduced without the express permission of the author.
This thesis explores the relationship between creative arts practice and trauma, loss and grief, including the shadowy world of sexual abuse. It is an examination of what art and the artist can contribute to wellbeing in the aftermath of such experiences through collaborative processes. It has involved creating art with a community of women who have inhabited spaces of trauma and loss and who carry the stigmata of these experiences. It examines what it means for artists to delve into the shadows of what hurts, disturbs and stultifies so as to offer something back that reveals, transforms and restores.
Participant and counsellor interviews, as well as the reflections of the artist as a participant/observer, are the main methods used to investigate the impact of creativity on wellbeing for women who have experienced trauma, grief and loss. Through a process of reflection and critical analysis, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how art-making and a relationship with art and artists can influence the wellbeing of those dealing with trauma, loss and grief.
The thesis also considers the creative spaces of artists: both the studio and the artist's internal world. Consequently, part of the research has involved the contemplation and exhibition of the artist's own reflective creative practice on trauma, loss and grieving, and the transformations and revelations that occur through the creative process.
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Copyright Updated: 1 Jun 2011
The South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault acknowledges the traditional Aboriginal owners of country throughout Victoria. We pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders past, present and future.