Acadia University, Wolfville NS Canada
cmorley@acadiau.ca
Philosophy statement:
I am interested in the use of the arts to extend the reach of research findings to support individuals and families experiencing changed health status, and to invite conversations about eating with changed health status.
Art form:
I work in textile arts (spinning, weaving, dyeing, surface design,sewing, needlework), and documentary film.
Art form:
I work in textile arts (spinning, weaving, dyeing, surface design,sewing, needlework), and documentary film.
Why did you choose that art form?
My research is primarily about the experience of eating in families where someone is sick. I wanted to learn to make films long before the digital era made filmmaking so accessible. In 2007, my growing disgruntlement with my work as a dietitian, discouragement from some peers that the topic was "not worthy of study", I thought I would leave dietetics and enrolled in a diploma program in textile arts simply for the joy of it. I had always sewn and I wanted to expand my repertoire of what was possible what one could do with textiles and fibre. While in the Textile Arts program, I opted to extend my studies and do a certificate in Documentary Film. Much to my surprise, all of my assignments in both programs related to families and eating, and the effects of illness. “Eureka!”, thought I, only to find that the study and promotion of the arts and/in health was well underway (e.g., The Global Alliance for Arts in Health; Artist Health Network).
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| At The Table (3 piece wall hanging); conveys the dynamics of family meals whenever someone is added or removed from a table |
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| Close Up from 'At The Table' (this is the first window; the dots represent my family members' seats at the table during my childhood - I am represented by the small purple dot between my parents) |
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| Slaves To Biology (tapestry) |
How did you find out about the ABRN?
I am part of the group that launched the ABRN at Acadia University along (with Dr. John Guiney Yallop (Education), Paula Rockwell (Music), and Laurie Dalton (Art Gallery/Art History)). I sought these folks out soon after I joined the faculty in 2011 in efforts to pursue my longstanding interests in the intersections between the arts, critical dietetics, and health services. Together, we were successful in receiving a 2012 Harrison McCain Foundation Award.
I choose to use art
forms, and encourage students to do so, to make findings more accessible than
when they are published in a peer-reviewed journal article. Not that these
publications are not important, only that the audiences I am trying to reach
(people living with illness) don’t typically read these sources.
What have you observed about the reception of your work?
I find that almost everyone to whom I show my work and that of students has an instant connection to the pieces revealed by their recounting of personal stories from their own lives or from the experiences of loved ones.
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| Not At The Table (this piece is about how having a family member living with a tubefeeding influences family feeding dynamics) |
What has being involved in arts-based research taught you?
I have learned how easy it is to tap into ‘the flow’ ("the joy of complete engagement" per Mihály Csíkszentmihályi) when I work out ways to convey complex learnings through a textile or film piece. This is far more readily accessible through work in the arts than when I try to write a formal research report.
What is your hope for the ABRN?
My hope is that we will continue to grow as a connected and supportive community of practice.
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