PhD Research
Research
This page details my Phd study (University of Exeter and University of West of England) that I undertook from 2019-2024. Funded by the South West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership.
The thesis can be downloaded at this link.
A reflective resource for artists on trauma-informed practice can be seen here. This animation was made in collaboration with Jean McEwan.
My PhD research explored trauma-informed community arts practice. This research came about because over the years I’ve run art sessions and projects with lots of different people and communities, becoming gradually aware of the impact of trauma on people and concerned to understand more deeply how artists can work with individuals more safely in a creative way.
Collage formed a core strand of my PhD research and in this short blog post I describe my first thoughts about collage as a method, rather than printmaking.
The PhD project fieldwork (the data gathering) consisted of 18 interviews with community artists (2020 & 2022) and two collage projects with service users at Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services (2021), both in-person and online.
My method for the fieldwork shifted from firstly co-creating an artist book portrait with service users at DRCSAS to the collage projects that I ran. My writing in the Journal for Artistic Research describes and reflects on this shift.
Above are images of collages made during the fieldwork.
I have been fortunate to be mentored by and collaborate with artist Jean McEwan. As part of our time together we made this booklet from collages reflecting on self compassion and trauma-informed arts practice called Hold Fast Voyager.
The participants in the first collage project chose to make a collaborative pamphlet for other service users at DRCSAS. It has been digitally printed and distributed. Here are a few of the pages they created.
Catherine Cartwright - trauma-informed artist, printmaker, researcher
Artist, printmaker, researcher
Dr. Catherine Cartwright is a multi-disciplinary artist, working primarily with printmaking, drawing and film, often exploring socio-political issues.
Catherine’s PhD funded by the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) explored how artists can work safely with individuals and communities affected by trauma with a focus on collage.