We were lucky to catch up with Caren Helene Rudman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Caren Helene thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I curated an exhibit, Voices & Visions, Standing on the Bridge Between Health and Disease in 2010. It was the first time that I merged my artistic work with what would become a love of curating. I had been making work about genetics, family heritage, and mother daughter connections since graduate school. When I learned that I carry the BRCA 1 gene which increased my risk of developing cancer, my work deepened into the exploration of health and disease. After undergoing life saving surgeries, I was asked to become a patient speaker advocate where I turned my art practice to include my story. It was at that time that I proposed the exhibit which included an open call for art about breast and ovarian cancer. A Chicago based medical supply company then sponsored the exhibht to tour cancer centers throughout the country and the exhibit theme became an annual, and then biennial exhibition that coninues today.

I learned through that experience that it is helpful to look at your own work in a bigger context. My artistic journey still deals with the fragility and strength of the body while facing mortality, and I since am a curator at The Art Center Highland Park, where that first Voices & Visions was created.

Caren Helene, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have always been creative, however, I was not always a visual artist. I studied in undergrad philosophy, psychology, French, and art history. What I love about art is that it encompasses all of my passions. Being an artist as well as a curator allows me to connect on a deep level, to think about the world in a critical way, and to try to communicate the things that are often hard to express.

I am proud of my work as a curator. I believe that I have championed those who are often underrepresented in the art world. I choose topics that are relevant and hold meaning on different levels and I am proud of the relationships I have built through being a curator.

As an artist, I tend to work in series. Redefining Beauty is an ongoing project where women share images after undergoing surgeries or biopsies and I use the image in mixed media pieces. Previving includes 365 pieces that reflect my own journey. The Days of Quarentine may have been my biggest challenge as I set out to make and post a piece every day of the shut down. 425 consecutive days, I created and wrote about on instagram, marking that time in all of our lives. The endeavor reflected the recurring question I ask, “How far do we go to stay healthy?”

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

As an artist, you must deal with an element of rejection. There have been times when I have been rejected and it derails me. I have cried and been tempted to quit. When I put so much into a submission that I have hope, that is when the rejection feels the most dramatic. I don’t think that people realize how hard that is. What I learned, however, is that when you are truly an artist, there is no giving up. It would mean unbeing who you are. I remember at one particular time when I felt the most down about a rejection. I wanted to drop out of a meaning group I was in and I wanted to quit making art. Yet, in the morning I went into my studio and pourred those feelings into a piece. I think it took me 1 hour to fill a huge canvas. It is called “Still Here” and whenever I feel discouraged, I look at that piece.

I also have learned to see the other side of how decisions are made as a curator. I can see that art that I love is not selected by guest jurors because they see the whole exhibit in a different way. That has also helped me with accepting rejecting less as a personal indictment.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist and curator is that I get to stay connected to my inner self. When I make work from that place, I feel fullfilled. When I am anxious or sad, when I feel frustrated by world events, or unsure about life, I can pour that emotion into my work and when I am done, I have a sense of calm. Through my work, I also love the connections that are made when talking about art. It is not the kind of art speak language or superficial but rather has deep and meaningful insights into life and our relationships to each other and to the world. That feels the most rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carenhelenerudman.com
• Instagram: @carenhelene
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carenhelene

Image Credits
I have the rights to all the images