Participating Artists: Sean Dawkin, Thelma E. M. Hammett, Danny Rosevelt, Curtis Hinton, Mary Ritter.
Artists’ Statements: An artistic expression created by patients at the National Rehabilitation Hospital. They gathered to create a collaborative artistic expression of life since brain injury.
Art Piece Story: The composition consists of symbolic images placed throughout the green maze of the ‘recovery world’*. To some participants, the color green represents growth and the beautiful world. The group members realize that they are getting better as they continue to commit themselves to the healing process of recovery.
The recovery journey begins in the bottom left hand corner. A brown figure recently injured with head hung low is greeted by the good doctor and good nurse. The red car symbolizes the members’ desire to work so that they can earn money. Members express that they want to return to a productive work life again. The devil represents feelings of being down, disgusted, and angry. Not knowing what to say, feeling aggravated, and being overwhelmed are also portrayed by the Devil. He is boxed off by himself in the lower right corner – present, but separated from the healing path. Continuing up the maze of recovery, one is assisted by helpful nurses and therapists to re-learn abilities lost by the injury.
Kids and family members bring love and happiness to the patients in the hospital. The eight figures, seven of them shinning the colors of the hopeful rainbow symbolize the many visitors who come to visit…