Artist Biography
I am an interdisciplinary artist. My creativity has been fostered since I could hold a pencil. Being the only artist in my immediate family, I was avidly encouraged to pursue my passion for art-making. Through supporting the creation and exhibition of my artwork from a young age, my family motivated me to find pride in my artistic talents. I work in 2D and 3D mediums with a focus on contemporary activism. During my adolescence, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that has left me battling with pain, medical gaslighting, not being taken seriously, and missing out on many common teenage life experiences. My chronic pain is not visible to others which makes it hard for them to understand my suffering. The invalidation of my pain from the medical community and those who do not understand it has left me feeling traumatized, isolated, and heartbroken. Art making has allowed me to explore and express the emotions that I have felt from the pain, lack of validation, and the stigma of disability. The current body of work consists of four mixed-media pieces including, a large scale whole body movement painting created on 10’ x 12’ muslin fabric, accompanied by a process video with the song Your Needs My Needs by Noah Kahan. A portrait photo series titled, Warped Identity which showcases the raw emotions of a lost sense of self, and the unseen pain of chronic illness. The Pill Bottle Mosaic, a 3D work on wood panel composed of over 150 smashed pill bottles; offers a metaphor for the sharp, jagged, and often overwhelming journey through the navigation of one’s illness. Lastly, (In)visible is a self sculpture that is a literal and abstract representation of the pain that manifests throughout my body, curated from brown clay, acrylic paint, and mixed media to make the unseen pain visible. Each of these works are aimed to bring the hidden illness to life.
Thesis Abstract
Expressive Therapies, Complex Emotion, and Chronic Illness Megan Dunne This thesis explores how engaging in expressive arts and expressive therapies can help those with chronic illness, cope with, explore, and understand the complex emotions that emerge for those individuals. Chronic pain is life-altering, disabling, and often not seen by others when it is felt by the individual. The complex emotions that arise from chronic pain and illness can lead to struggles with self-identity, feelings of invalidation, and confusion. Expressive art-making can offer opportunities for people with chronic pain to share their emotions, and serve as an outlet for creative expression and communication. This thesis used mixed media including dance movement, video, painting, found objects, photography, and ceramics to generate a body of work for the author to explore their personal understanding with chronic pain. In result, four works of art were curated for the authors self reflection on their experience and to generate visibility for those who also struggle with chronic pain and may feel unseen. This thesis may contribute to generating an understanding for creative and expressive therapists to working with those with chronic pain.