Bethany Altschwager is an artist and creative arts therapist born in Connecticut, working in New York, and living in New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College, a Master of Professional Studies from the School of Visual Arts, and a Doctorate of Art Therapy from Mount Mary University. While art has always been an important part of her life, it was her early experiences with the magic of darkroom photography that inspired her to pursue her career in the arts. She started as an art educator teaching photography, graphic design, and general arts to children and teens before pursuing art therapy professionally. She now uses the creative process to support adults experiencing mental health challenges to express themselves, cope with stress and stigma, and develop a greater understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and layers of identity. She is also an adjunct faculty member in the art therapy departments at New York University, the School of Visual Arts, and West Liberty University.
Her artwork has been displayed in group exhibitions at Pictor Gallery, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Arts, Artwell Gallery, Gallery on the Green, Pia Sjolin Design Studio, HMVC Gallery, and Arthouse Co-op. She has held solo exhibitions at the Ethel Walker School and Sarah Lawrence College. She maintains an active studio practice primarily focused on digital art, photography, and fibers.
Statement:
The Street Layers series started in 2015 when I was in the process of obtaining my creative arts therapy credentials. I worked multiple jobs, seven days a week, sometimes three different places in a single day. I started photographing graffiti and textures I found on the streets en route to each position to try to stay oriented and grounded. At the end of the day, I collaged photographs from each location into a single image. On the surface, the titles appear to be plausible cross streets in New York neighborhoods. In reality, the titles represent new, liminal spaces that I’ve created through my experiences and do not exist in physical reality.
For me, these images represent the confluence of time, space, and the cycles of renewal and decay. Preserving images of that which, by its nature, will be washed away, painted over, reconstructed, repaired, or torn down highlights the tension between holding on and letting go. Images in these layers break apart so they can come back together in new configurations. I have continued this practice on and off over the years as a form of visual journaling to document detours, adventures, and changes both personally and professionally.
bethany.altschwager@gmail.com
Instagram: @bethanyaltschwager