Chelsea Borgman

Transforming Self after the Loss of a Mother as a Young Girl: Feminist Grief Guidance Through Art

Grief is a misunderstood concept in the United States. Since the advent of modern psychology, popularized grief models have pushed grief from a cultural or religious practice into a medicalized realm that characterizes certain expressions of loss as inappropriate. The designation of what is the right and wrong way to grieve is rooted in a hegemonic patriarchal tradition that, throughout history, has characterized women’s expressions of grief as ‘unhealthy’ and in need of medical intervention.

This study proposes an alternative to a medicalized conceptualization of grief, in which educators who work with grieving children understand loss to be a fundamentally transformative event in one’s life. The purpose of grief work, as indicated in this study, should not be to eliminate painful feelings; rather it should work to support grieving people as they explore and adjust to their new identity and reality after the loss of a loved one.

In this case study, I created art throughout five sessions with a nine-year-old girl whose mother had died. Utilizing a critical action research approach, I reflected on my teaching practice and position as a feminist grief guide, while considering the role art-making played in our discussions of loss and processing of complicated emotion. As a feminist grief guide, I grounded my practice in both feminist pedagogy and epistemology, in which grief is considered an ever-changing reflection of personal experience and positionality. Findings indicate that the structure of this art-making series of workshops created opportunities for the researcher and participant to talk about the role of grief in our lives, use the process of creating art as a vehicle for grief discussion, explore art materials as a way to create ongoing bonds with our lost mothers, exercise reciprocal learning, and express both vulnerability and agency as a grieving girl and woman.

Project Link
https://www.chelseaborgman.com/

Advisers/Committee

Chelsea Borgman
Chelsea Borgman
Obvious Child: Paper College
Obvious Child: Paper College