Heroine’s Journey

“The Heroine’s Journey” shown with “The Yellow Brick Road is a Lie!” by Chris Orth

Just before the first official day of Summer, there is a tradition at the Rourke Art Gallery + Museum that signals the shift into slower, sunnier days. It is the Midwestern Invitational Preview on June 18th each year, and I was honored to be a part of the 63rd Annual event.

The theme is "Familiar Lands & Foreign Gates: The Hero's Journey", and I just had to dive back into the concept of the Heroine’s Journey. This is something I have been intrigued by for some time, and last delved into the concept for Gray Matter Series: Sense of Self back in 2018 when I worked with a group of collaborators for the first artfilm short of the Gray Matter Series.

Artist Statement:

“The Heroines Journey”

While the Hero's Journey speaks of answering the call to adventure and the slaying of dragons after the dark night of the soul, the Heroine's Journey (as defined by author Maureen Murdock) goes to greater and more personal depths of transformation. It begins for many young women with the separation from or rejection of the feminine- an alignment to masculine ideals. She begins to identify with masculine ideals such as achievement and ambition. She meets trials and eventually finds the fleeting thrill of success. For many, there next comes an awakening of spiritual aridity- is this all there is? At this time, she may descend into the self, and slay what might be called the inner dragon. This is the descent into the goddess. When she later emerges as a phoenix of sorts, she has a yearning to reconnect with the feminine and goes on to heal the mother/daughter split. From this place she heals the wounded masculine and then can integrate both masculine and feminine sides of herself.

The full 63rd Midwestern Invitational is on view until Labor Day weekend at the Rourke Art Gallery + Museum. 1 to 5 p.m. on FRI, SAT, & SUN