Lesley University DigitalCommons@Lesley Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences Expressive Therapies Dissertations (GSASS) Winter 1-15-2021 Grieving Artists: Influences of Loss and Bereavement on Visual Artmaking Rebecca Arnold [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_dissertations Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Arnold, Rebecca, "Grieving Artists: Influences of Loss and Bereavement on Visual Artmaking" (2021). Expressive Therapies Dissertations. 107. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_dissertations/107 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences (GSASS) at DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Expressive Therapies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Lesley. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. 1 Grieving Artists: Influences of Loss and Bereavement on Visual Artmaking A DISSERTATION (submitted by) REBECCA ARNOLD In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy LESLEY UNIVERSITY January 15, 2021 2 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at Lesley University and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations form this dissertation are allowed without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of sources is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation form or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my husband, for his unwavering support and encouragement. I am grateful for all the listening, holding, and clarity you provide to me always, but especially over these last four years. To my children, for their persistent patience and resourcefulness while I read, wrote, and then read and wrote some more. Thank you for your giggles and hugs and for celebrating all the small victories with me. To my committee members and teachers, for their strong guidance and their dedication to the development of artists as researchers. Thank you for the reminders along the way that this was exactly the right research work I needed to do. To my cohort, for their endless passion for learning and their commitment to supporting one another. Thank you for being such an amazing group of people – I am lucky to know you! To my family, friends, and professional colleagues for their unyielding interest in my educational pursuits. I am so happy to have shared this part of my work with you. This dissertation is dedicated to my mom. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. 7 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .............................................................................................. 8 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... 10 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 11 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.14 Characteristics of Grief ......................................................................................... 14 Bereavement .................................................................................................. 17 Resilience ....................................................................................................... 18 The Changed Relationship ............................................................................. 19 Creativity............................................................................................................... 21 Grief and the Visual Arts ............................................................................... 23 Art Therapy ............................................................................................... 26 Grief and Writing ........................................................................................... 28 Artists in a Historical Context............................................................................... 31 Contemporary Artists ..................................................................................... 33 Rituals of Mourning and Community Engagement .................................. 35 Grief, Art, and Sales....................................................................................... 40 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 41 3. METHOD .................................................................................................................... 44 Purpose of the Study .............................................................................................. 44 Research Design..................................................................................................... 44 Participant Selection ...................................................................................... 45 Procedure ....................................................................................................... 46 Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 47 Artwork .......................................................................................................... 48 Data Analysis ......................................................................................................... 52 Researcher Bias .............................................................................................. 54 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................... 55 4. RESULTS .................................................................................................................. 577 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 57 Experiencing Grief ................................................................................................. 57 The Bereaved Relationship ............................................................................ 60 Felt Loss ......................................................................................................... 63 Reconnectiong to Self .................................................................................... 64 6 Faith and Beauty .................................................................................................... 66 God and Religion ........................................................................................... 68 Views on Death and Mortality ....................................................................... 73 Merging .................................................................................................................. 77 Intentional Imagery ........................................................................................ 79 Unexpected Imagery ...................................................................................... 81 Storying .................................................................................................................. 85 Through Writing ............................................................................................ 87 For Celebration and Memorial ....................................................................... 88 Exhibiting Work..................................................................................................... 90 Sales ............................................................................................................... 91 Curative Aspects of Artmaking ............................................................................. 94 Release of Emotions ...................................................................................... 96 Flow ............................................................................................................... 98 Art Workshops and Classes as Support Groups .......................................... 100 5. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................ 102 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 107 Contributions of the Study .................................................................................. 109 Recommendations for Futher Research .............................................................. 110 Appendix A: Participation Flyer ..................................................................................... 113 Appendix B: Participation Search Email ........................................................................ 115 Appendix C: Demographic Form.................................................................................... 117 Appendix D: Invitation Email/Letter .............................................................................