Pam McDonnell

My work uses personal mythology and archetypal symbols to highlight the practice of acceptance or rejection of individuals by conformist culture. What happens when a person does not fit within the expectations of a dominating group? How many people make up “a group” and who determines the values of the group? How does the pressure of conformity affect how we individuate from children to adults? What are the connections between nonconformance and violence, bullying, social outcasting?

I draw from a library of figurative glyphs that do as they please regardless of social expectations. They have found themselves liberated to live fully as they are in a state of physical and psychological hybridity. They are unpredictable yet recognizable energies that reference age old archetypes. By using these liberated glyphic figures repeatedly I reinforce the advantages and joy found in authentic individuation. In the world of my work, there are no outsiders—only new stories from which to glean wisdom.