ARTIST STATEMENT
While exploring my family’s past, I have discovered recurring patterns and coping mechanisms which carry over for generations. Though I did not have a choice in receiving this trauma, I do have a choice in healing it. Through heavy repetition of form and processes, I am reiterating the importance of reclaiming healthy repetition for myself after growing up in a home where it was seen in direct correlation with addiction. My artistic process examines what it means to claim ownership over one’s own personal story, while finding space to step back and look at my upbringing and myself with compassion, understanding, and love.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Heather Schroeder is an artist from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She received her BA in Art and Design Art from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay in 2018. In 2022, Schroeder received her MFA at Montana State University, where she focused on trauma, the body, as well as her own personal story. Her work carries a strong narrative which invites the viewer to examine subjects relating to domestic violence, addiction, family matters, as well as personal growth. She predominantly works in ceramic, textile, and watercolor. Schroeder has shown in group exhibitions across the United States. She currently lives and practices in Minnesota.
© Heather Schroeder