Dana Bell MFA ’04
We process grief and trauma through storytelling, drama, and art. Like a vaccine, artwork can be a filtered or genetically mutated version of trauma, making it easier for us to process our past. My works are pared down versions of life, derived from vernacular photography. These forgotten stories take on new meaning and offer a salve to issues in our contemporary life. Chosen for suggestive interactions among the figures, they highlight actions like play, wonder, conflict and affirmation. Often, women are seen as tumbling onto one another, and men are seen fighting or taunting the women. Something is always “up.”