Gwynneth VanLaven (she/they) is an artist, activist, therapist intern and facilitator whose practice includes photography, installation, writing, performance, and social engagement. VanLaven received her BA from Knox College in Multimodal Language (an independent, cross-disciplinary major) with a minor in photography, and MFA from George Mason University in Critical Art Practice, also a multimodal course of study. VanLaven taught visual thinking, aesthetics, and new media art at the School of Art at George Mason University, until relocating to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Gwynneth is now studying at the University of Michigan to become a Master of Social Work in Interpersonal Practice and Community Change. VanLaven is also creating and leading for InterPlay (Body Wisdom, Inc.) and DanceAbility (DanceAbility Detroit). These are both whole mind-body forms drawing on self- and other- inquiry and connection.
Teaching & Presenting:
Adjunct Faculty, 2009-2014, George Mason University School of Art, Fairfax, VA
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington, DC
Association of Art Historians, Academy Royal College of Art, Kensington, London
University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
Stamps School of Art & Design, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Exhibit Venues:
Washington, DC (Smithsonian Institution, S. Dillon Ripley International Gallery) :: Solo Exhibition, Chicago, IL, :: Solo Exhibition, Galesburg, IL :: Solo Exhibition, Fairfax, VA :: Adelphi, MD :: Minneapolis, MN :: Ventura, CA :: Philadelphia, PA :: Durham, Ontario, Canada :: Brooklyn, NY :: FLC, New York, NY :: FLC, Berlin, Germany :: FLC, Medellin, Colombia
Awards:
First Place, 18th International Open Woman Made Gallery, Chicago :: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Artist Fellowship :: George Mason University Women & Gender Studies Leadership Award :: Evan Newport Hope Award, Michigan Medicine :: Society for Photographic Education Mid-Atlantic Graduate Student Award :: Albert G. Young Prize in Photography :: Davenport Fiction Prize :: Russian Olympiad of Language & Literature Silver Medal (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Publications:
Cover, The Color She Gave Gravity: Stephanie Heit, The Operating System, 2017
“Asphalta Angelica” South Loop Review: Creative Nonfiction + Art, Chicago, IL, 2013
“Trauma & Erasure.” Performance Research: PR 16.1, Rutledge, London, UK, 2011
“I know you mean well, but you can’t solve my disability.” The Washington Post, May 4, 2010,
Syndicated by The Washington Post News Service & Syndicate
“Waiting Rooms.” The Healing Muse, 10:1, Center for Bioethics and Humanities, Syracuse, NY, 2010
“The Theater of Wellness: Systems and Lived Experience,” George Mason University, 2010
Reviews
“Gwynneth VanLaven’s work has a playful, ironic edge with a serious dash of chutzpah.” A. Laura Brody
“… For VanLaven, the physical consequences of a car accident led her to reflect on attitudes about disability, not only on the part of the culture, but also on the person experiencing it. Her playful photograph Pity Party, Cake invites the viewer to join the space where fear cannot dismiss a person or a feeling, and fragility and resilience exist together.” Durham Art Gallery, Altered Images
“As the swallowing of pills proceeds on screen, I examine a remarkable book which sits on the coffee table in place of the usual lifestyle magazines… The visitor can play with the pages to create new meanings and facial expressions: some baffling, some highly comic. This Waiting Room seems to merge childhood and adult experience.” Anne Teahan, www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk
“Published in the Washington Post, Gwynneth VanLaven’s article “For a disabled person, unsolicited advice is not welcome,” contains brilliant insight into the fear and discomfort that arise for people without disabilities when they encounter someone with a disability. She explains how such encounters unsettle people with the reality of their own helplessness and vulnerability in the universe – giving rise to fear, anxiety and unsolicited advice for a “fix.
Rob McInnes, Diversity World
Leading
“In telling someone about InterPlay with you leading, I will say, “Different parts of your body will be rejoicing at the opportunity Gwynneth will be giving them to be listened to – each one will have maybe a once in a lifetime exceptional experience of coming out – delicious, freeing, exciting, invigorating & joyful!”
-Evelyn, Philippines