Dalenne Sauers

Artist Statement

2Headed Fetal Pig symbolizes the madness of being judge us when we are in agony, when we are dying. As if gripped by insanity and fear of death, those around us tend to isolate and distance themselves form the suffering. This piece originally showed at Metamorphosis gallery in Pittsburgh, PA with a fused glass and copper overlay and black/white goat skin frame. It was then called the Bell Jar as it tries to convey the feeling of being inside an airless jar that distorts your perspective on the world and prevents you from connecting with the people around you. The feeling of being on display as a specimen for others to dissect because they have judged you in their black and white terms. This is where our sense of self and humanity dies. When we are judged for just being born, living and dying. When we are put in a ajr and seperated from society. We have as little control of our lives as the 2 headed fetal pig on display in biology class and prepped for dissection yet we are all made of the same matter. We can still make eye contact but somewhere the connection was lost in the tissue and cells. Somewhere we forgot we are the same.

Biography

I was born and raised in the northern mountains of Pennsylvania. I have been exploring the world and human connections, always wanderring the land in search of inspirations. Most recently in 2012, I got my Masters in Art Therapy with a specialization in trauma counseling from Seton Hill University and this has lead to a pivotal change in my creativity. Prior to that I was a glass and metal artist, living off the grid in the mountains of Pittsburgh for a decade. In the 90s I was a figure painter working at the Cleveland Institut Art's Reinberger Gallery when I fell in love with glass and copper fusion.

Becoming an art therapist has taken me through a world of state mental hospitals and community based extended acute care units for employment. At each location, I introduce an appreciation for the need for creativity to maintain our humanity. I am currently building the art therapy program at the Veteran's Hospital Spinal Cord Injury unit at Hampton, VA. I am proud to say I have survived fighting breast cancer last year and I am back to share the my contagious love of creativity as it helps heals us all.

Exhibition History (CV)