Artmaking Resilience: Reflections on Art-Based Research of Bereavement and Grief

Abstract

This article presents some of the elements of artmaking as sources of resilience within the process of bereavement and grief. It builds upon findings from an art-based research project conducted during the period of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic that explored properties of resilience in the face of sickness and death, which suggests three active elements to resilience: the capacity to observe pain, possession of faith, and the support circle. The article ties these findings, with other artistic projects in which artmaking responded to and alleviated sorrow and loss.

Molding the Fear: Representations of Fatherhood in Clay by Violent Men

“…Within art-based methodology, artistic expressions serve the researchers and participants for comprehension and assessment (Kossak, 2021;McNiff, 2014). The created artworks represent contents and meanings, emphasizing their significance (Lev, 2021;2022;Duckrow Fonda, 2017). This research echoed other researchers who found the transition between working with clay to the verbal discussions, facilitates expression (Agyei et al, 2021;Govoni et al, 2022) and exposure and transformation of paternal perceptions (Bat-Or, 2010;Bat-Or & Greinmann-Bauch, 2017).…”

“…They observed and examined the artworks according to the phenomenological-aesthetic approach that traces the nature of the phenomena (Betensky, 1977). They also drew on their observation logs to recall feelings and interpretations stemming from the experiential meeting and the process as a whole (Lev, 2022). Then, they discussed the body of information, distilling the main themes that could answer the research question.…”