ARTIST STATEMENT
An intimate act of tenderness (holding the hand of a one-year-old refugee from Venezuela whom I had just met) opens the window into a much larger socio-historical commentary on the lack of care and compassion in powerful systems – ones that are actually responsible for looking after us in many ways. The question, “How can I care?” is one of the most important questions of our times that I find myself asking every so often. Two emotions can be true at once. Caring is a way of rebelling against a system that does not care, that as Lucille Clifton says, “… does not even want us to remember our own memories.” The line also says, “I will go on caring despite a system that does not care or does not want me to care.” The question is also an admission of genuine, empathetic inquisition. A soft way of saying, “I want to learn even more ways to care, to do my part.” A sense of solidarity and wanting to shine a light on those who cannot maybe do it for themselves. A soft rebellion and conscientiousness at once, and the combination of the two create a sense of control that a heart aches for in times of political uncertainty. Perhaps the answers lie within: how can I care for myself, my family, and my community?
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Maggy Hovden (she/her) is a social worker, storyteller, and poet based in Chicago, IL, whose work explores the intimate intersections of care, displacement, and systemic neglect. Her art interrogates the dissonance between the compassion we owe each other and the indifference embedded in political institutions. Through poetry, imagination, and personal connection, Maggy illuminates the quiet, radical power of empathy in spaces often dominated by bureaucracy and violence. For Maggy, caring is not passive – it is a deliberate, rebellious act. Her art resists erasure and apathy, insisting instead on softness, solidarity, and the refusal to forget. In politically charged times, she returns to the question, “How can I care?” – a mantra that fuels her creative practice and invites collective reflection and response. Born and raised as a farmer’s daughter in a small town in northeastern Iowa, Maggy has sought out immersive and transformative experiences across the world. After college, she served a year-long AmeriCorps term in Phoenix, AZ and lived in a maternity home with seven pregnant and parenting women previously experiencing homelessness. Most recently, Maggy interned at a migrant rights organization and refugee shelter in Mexico City, where she drew on profound moments to inspire her poem. She is committed to advocating for community wellness, reproductive justice, and equitable health systems, always grounded in trauma-informed, culturally responsive care.
© Maggy Hovden