Presenter: Hollie Anderson
Authors: Hollie Anderson
Faculty Advisor: Alexandra Giannell
Institution: Utah Valley University
The pieces in this exhibit are the product of an extensive study of touch-based art creation. The medium, graphite powder, was applied directly to paper using primarily my hands. I believe that there is a powerful and unique mind-body connection for an artist when art is created using the body. Haptic mark-making can generate a unique sense of connection to the viewer, as well. Seeing marks made with human touch connects the viewer not only to the artwork, but also more closely to the artist and their process. With the guidance of my mentor, an expert in the area of touch-based art, Professor Alexandra Giannell, I purposefully and carefully chose subjects for my pieces that elicit strong emotions. The desire to be close again to a lost loved one, honoring the body that is helping me to create the art I’ve felt so connected to, and an exploration of various techniques to achieve reality produced connection and emotion in the making process that was new and especially moving. I am excited to share this process with art viewers and art makers alike, rejecting the idea that creating with your fingers is childish or rudimentary. By providing powder and blank paper at my exhibit, I will allow viewers to experience this process in an immersive way. This process can provide powerful connections and simultaneously create impressive and dynamic artwork. I am also interested in continuing my research with this process through the lens of therapeutic practices and how it can be applied to areas of somatic treatments, especially in individuals with sensory processing disorders.