September 14, 2013 - October 05, 2013
Photographer J. Michael Skaggs and writer Megan D. Henson combine to show a body of work interpreting the slow ravages of chronic pain. Also on display: work from the Caregivers Circle Project Participants, a project of The Contact Center and Center for Community Change with support from Community Surveys Art Project, an innovation of Mary Clare “M.C.” Rietz, artist and community organizer.
Skaggs is a multidisciplinary artist using public speaking, curatorial practices and photography to address issues of social import ranging from contemporary racial issues, equal rights for women and now, the visual allegory of chronic pain suffered by his wife Megan Henson. In his inventive series of photographs, Skaggs depicts the physical and mental impact of chronic pain through a series of figurative works layered with rough textures of both organic and inorganic materials. The female figures in these images alternatively fight through or become submerged by the various barriers to functionality presented by the physical conditions associated with chronic pain. Henson’s expressive poetry complements each image in the show.
The Caregivers Circle Project consists of work which arose from three dinner events around Cincinnati held from April through July of 2013 with the goal of connecting and supporting the caregiving community. The dinners sought to build support networks while discussing, understanding and problem solving about the biggest challenges faced by caregivers in Cincinnati today. The dinner events also included basic art making activities meant to capture the content of the dinner conversations. In addition to showing the results of these events in the gallery, photographer Natalie Hager created portraits of several of the Caregivers Circle participants which will be on display.