Alzheimer’s. A word that conjures up images of fear, isolation, confusion, and loss. In the United States today, 5.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 14 million. Terminal illness is a painful topic — but this one strikes home for me. My father was recently, finally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, after years of ambiguous labels assigned to his memory loss and declining capacity to care for himself. I sat down with photographer and mixed media artist Ellie Brown to talk about Alzheimer’s, fathers and daughters, and art as a means of documenting, unpacking and transforming this disease. Brown’s upcoming show “Sundown,” at AS220 in Providence, encompasses all of these things. Brown’s own father, a tall, friendly and robust guy known for his love of music and acting, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2015 … [Read more...] about Ellie Brown: Holding on to a Dear Life
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BEAUTIFUL MINDS AT FULLER: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART
COVER STORY MINDFUL: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM 455 OAK STREET BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH APRIL 22 by Beth Neville “Memento Mori,” a woodblock print with cut mylar crafted by Swoon, is a technical “tour de force” that dominates the Fuller Craft Museum’s “Mindful” exhibition. Memento mori in Latin means remembrance of death. This writer’s first-born baby girl died at four months of age, and Swoon’s imagery brings back all the sadness and anguish of that loss. In a dance of life and death, Swoon’s four images of women are surrounded by skeletons and fleshless skulls, somewhat softened by a lacy pattern of palm fronds and curling cloud patterns. Her complex image begins with an aging-dying woman whose fleshless arms and hands embrace a smiling, young woman embracing a little girl. This young woman’s upper torso morphs into a bony … [Read more...] about BEAUTIFUL MINDS AT FULLER: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART