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Monika Plioplyte pits the physical self against the psychological. Through unglazed ceramics and leather, she alludes to bodily elements such as bones and skin to draw visceral connections between material and the psychologically fraught nature of her making and performance process. Plioplyte was born in Kaunas, Lithuania and received her BFA in printmaking from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2012. She is the recipient of the McMillan-Reba Stewart Travel Award for Printmakers; the Blanche E Coleman award; and the John W. Kutrich Foundation Travel Grant. Plioplyte was a founder of the Wolf Press in Boston and, co-director of the Piano Craft Gallery. Plioplyte is a 2019 MFA candidate at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Swen Swihart-Decoster unpacks moving personal narratives to shed light on the complexities and injustices surrounding the treatment and care of people with disabilities. Informed by his photographic memory, Swihart-Decoster shares his experiences and struggles with identity and disability through portraiture rendered in bold colors. Swihart-Decoster will graduate with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Winter of 2019.
Brianna Beck creates work from her own experience with disability to address the gap between physical space and her unexplored psyche. Spinning personal narrative into sculptural objects, Beck undermines assumptions and stigma surrounding disability. Beck’s contribution to Voices Embodied was previously part of the 2017-2018 John F. Kennedy Distinguished Artists traveling show, Electrify. Coming from a background in design, Beck is set to earn her MAATC in Art Therapy in Spring of 2019.
Michael-Taylor Orr depicts dark, contorted, figures in technically meticulous drawings and paintings. In a parallel body of work, Orr interrogates touch, body, and interpersonal connection through delicate, abstract drawings. Orr is set to earn their BFA from the School of the Art Institute in the Spring of 2021.
Cameron Stemler wrestles with sculptural materials such as metal, glass, and, neon to create other worldly creatures and forms. The physicality involved in his making process speaks to a cathartic examination of psychology through imaginative narrative and materiality. Stemler is a 2019 BFA candidate at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Katie O'Neill is a Mad artist, choreographer, educator, and disability activist based in Chicago. She is currently earning her MFA in Performance from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2017, she received her BFA from Moore College of Art & Design with a minor in Art History and focus in Art Education.
