Wake up alone in a strange room

For my senior thesis, I created a series of drawings on paper exploring the theme of memory and trauma. When I was ten, I was hospitalized for a week. Over decade later, I still avoided thinking or speaking about that time in my life. Even though that week had a tremendous impact on shaping me as a person, my memory of that time is spotty at best. Certain events I remember vividly, while others are completely missing. This project synthesized my time as an art major in the Ball State Honors College through the integration of research and drawing. In this project, I investigated my hospitalization, conducting research on how trauma affected my memories, and researching my own past through the documents and records that my parents kept. By using these resources, I created a series of drawings exploring my memories of my hospitalization. I created most of the drawings using charcoal on 22” by 30” paper. The content of the drawings represents my memories from that time. For the conception of this project, I drew inspiration from artists such as Mary Kelly, Judie Bamber, J. Ariadhitya Pramuhendra, and Mark Tansey. Kelly’s Postpartum Document helped me conceive of the research element of this project. I admire the dreamlike quality of Bamber’s work, and the drama and chiaroscuro of Pramuhendra’s drawings. I wanted to complete this project for several reasons. First, it helped me process the difficult memories of my hospitalization. Second, having the freedom to direct my own project prompts and guidelines helped me grow as an artist and set me on the path to continue making art after my schooling is complete. My senior thesis culminated in an exhibition that was held on the fourth floor of the Arts and Journalism Building. There, the drawings were on display for the general public from December 1 to December 14 of 2019. Even though this project was personally relatable for myself and my immediate family, it is my hope that others who experienced trauma will benefit from seeing my analysis of memory and trauma.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?