Opening Doors
Does trauma have an upside?
“Children’s Mural,” composite documentation 1985 Acrylic on interior wall original approximately 96” x 360”
Doors can open up to a new world but they can also sometimes be a one-way trip. Sometimes that works. Other times it doesn’t.
In 1985, I embarked on an ill-fated but important project, developing an interior mural with residents of a shelter for abused children. It was ill-fated for several reasons. One was that I organized our imagery around my presumptuous understanding of Native American Medicine Wheels, an unfortunate claim to wisdom that was not mine to claim, but was ubiquitous at the time amongst maturing middle class ex-hippies.