Connections 2 (2005)

 
About The Artist:
Michelle Amerie graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. One of the gifts of disability has been to teach her the importance of maintaining a flexible approach to artistic expression, using the medium most appropriate for her at any given point in time. This has allowed Michelle to develop expertise within a number of mediums – and has kept her artistic spirit alive and well.

Michelle has been greatly influenced through self-study, and her solo visits to the thrones of classical masters in the UK, France, Italy, Greece and Egypt.

Working with artists from different countries, Ahrens participated in an open studio, exploring and advancing adaptive paper techniques for people with disabilities. Several pieces that she created are now part of the Yamagata Institute’s International Collection.

Michelle’s MS has progressed from needing a cane to now needing a wheelchair. She has found it very important to use her art as a means of expressing pride - rather than any of the more untoward feelings which can come with the progression of disability.

Artist's Statement:
The truth is that my journey as an artist has been unpredictable - even fragile at times. Contending with the ebb and flow of MS presents a challenge - remaining creative despite disability - remaining creative because of disability. "Inside Out" is a reflection of the state and the circumstances to which we are all heir. This work reflects the senses, both meditative and foreboding; senses which come with an ever-changing disability - reflections of the ever-changing world in which we live.

I am not a painter, sculptor, writer or photographer. I am a chameleon - improvising, innovating and switching mediums to accommodate the whims of MS - to accommodate the fluctuations of both inner and outer worlds.

I continue to laugh, cry and celebrate my victories; the victories of the unstoppable chameleon – the spirit of the artist inside.