Katie Hinchey
Disability, Identity, Culture
Painting Life As Is: Portraits by Parental Caregivers
In our first day of class with Riva Lehrer she introduced us to the work of artist/parental caregivers, Tim Lowly and Vincent Desiderio. “Temma’s daughter is one of the most disabled people I have ever met. Her father Tim’s work is statement that you do not need to earn love to be adored. You do not have to produce personhood to deserve love.” Having personal caregiving experience this idea felt revolutionary and I connected deeply when I read more about Lowly and Desiderio’s life stories. These successful artists share similar stresses and feature their children in much of their art.
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Reflections
Reflecting on this 360 has been an almost daily part of my life since the semester started. I came into this course cluster with many preconceived notions about myself, the professors, the course content, and how it would all play out. Most of the ideas I had constructed were not immediately proved wrong and therefore this semester has involved a constant exercise in adjustment. I knew that the courses would feel very personal for me but I had confidence in my ability to operate as an academic within our dynamic. As a sociology major I spend a lot of my time deconstructing oppression and dissecting cultural structures, often these structures play out in my personal life as well. I did not expect to be so triggered by classroom discussions, texts, and group dynamics.