ARTIST STATEMENT
I began painting, working with textiles, and teaching out of a passion for the tactility these practices invite. Creating the conditions to honor the fullness of one’s senses in my classroom or studio led to a new understanding of the creative process. Providing adequate time was essential. Utilizing an embodied approach, I’ve come to understand that my work asks us to negotiate time as a way to become more present. The languages and processes found in fiber art supported this shift in my work. I grew to understand my presence as an access point for deeper inquiry. Thus inviting a more intentional response to the world, communities, or situations that need our care and sustained attention. The understanding of this inquiry led me to study the histories found within the world of textiles: often including injustice within marginalized groups as a result of trade, consumption and over-production of textiles. As a result, solidarity required me to use my art as a way to interrogate my relationship with materials. In this way, I see time as an illustration of care. When I make art and teach with that pedagogy of care; I must slow down. In that way, time becomes a material in the mix that I must negotiate or suspend. This extension of care invites the process to shift into a more present and human connection to the art and its process. I see time as another thread wound within and amongst the materials that become my work.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lauren is a multi-media artist and education whose work has been shown across the midwest. She received an MFA in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and a BA in Art Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Lauren is an art therapist in Minneapolis and founder and executive director of Curiosity Studio.
© Lauren Callis