Browsing by Author "Baldner, Karen"

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    Childhood Unraveled
    (2023) Edgerly, Brianna; Setser, Meredith; Petranek, Stefan; Potter, William; Baldner, Karen
    Through the exploration of handmade paper with nostalgic imagery I have been transforming the fragments and sorrow of my memories into a cathartic experience shared between the artist and the viewer. I use Van Dyke brown printing to translate photographic imagery that reminds me of my childhood and create my version in the form of an abstracted illustration. This translation from photography to drawing allows for a personal reprocessing of the original memory. I print the illustrations onto handmade cotton paper that together create an aesthetically intriguing collection of objects. They are a physical record of how the artistic process has also been a healing one when it comes to my mental health. It also offers the spectator a moment to slow down and reflect on how they process their memories by witnessing how I have processed my own. As a result, my work creates a stronger empathetic understanding of how someone’s past can affect them in the present moment. The delicately intricate use of the material creates a curiosity in the spectator to further interact with the work. As they move in closer to inspect the work, tears, stains, and other imperfections litter both prints and cast forms alike. By allowing the natural processes of hand papermaking and analog printing to create these imperfections, I can embrace and redefine my own. Through paper making and analog printing, I can embrace my own imperfections, redefine them, and find beauty in them.
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    ZINES: A Survey to Explore Therapeutic Benefits
    (2024) Renk, Caitlin; Misluk, Eileen; Baldner, Karen
    This study explored existing literature on zines and zine culture as it relates to art therapy and mental health and aimed to investigate the benefits that members of this culture experience from participating. A mixed-method survey with qualitative and quantitative questions was conducted with adult participants who self-identified as makers and/or collectors of zines. The findings of the survey reinforced the prevalence of overlap between readers and makers in the zine community. They demonstrated a large representation of LGBTQ+ identities within zine culture and wider popularity for zines in emerging adults. Benefits participants reported experiencing included creative expression, connecting with others, and seeing representations of others like themselves. Personal narratives and visual arts were the most common themes for zines and were used in combination. The gap in the literature suggests that more research on the topic of zines in art therapy would be beneficial. The findings from the literature and survey suggest that zines may be well received by and beneficial for adolescents and emerging adults, especially those with marginalized gender and sexual identities.