Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Wheatley.
Rhonda, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
When I was a child, perhaps five years old, I had this urgent desire to understand the secrets of the universe. I was a seeker, and unbeknownst to my parents, I was eager to “get on with my purpose” and understand the unseen, the unexplained, and the metaphysical. I also made art when I was a kid, from chalkboard murals to contest-winning posters. Art remained a huge part of who I was, alongside my curiosities surrounding the life’s mysteries. However, I never intended to become a professional artist. I studied Literature and completed an MA in Writing, and it wasn’t until I was working as a writer and Account Executive in advertising that I started to feel the inner push toward an art career. I followed that urge, and for the next twelve years I evolved and exhibited my collage-based paintings about consciousness. Then it all came to a halt when my father passed away.
As I grieved, I lost my interest in art. I could have forced myself to paint. But instead I went with what I felt. I dove into my lifelong obsession with the metaphysical and spiritual via energy healing, collecting crystals, science fiction, and more. And a few years later, when I started to feel that inner push to return to art, I realized that my time away from painting was about much more than grief. It was about getting quiet, going within, and undergoing a transformation that, when I reemerged, led to a whole new way of being an artist for me. It brought me full circle, as I traded four-cornered canvases that merely hinted at my interests for assemblage sculptures, performances, and workshops that more fully reflect who I am as a seeker and that purpose I’ve been eager to serve since the age of five.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a multi-disciplinary artist, and I explore consciousness expansion, healing, and transformation through sculpture and 2-D works, writing, interactive performance, and workshops. The art I make is grounded in the speculative and metaphysical with a touch of science fiction and informed by my often weird and magical life experiences.
Specifically, I make assemblage-based sculptures using found vintage objects and natural materials. For instance, sculptures from my “Power Objects” series, like the “Trauma Healer,” are comprised of vintage mannequin hands, beads, crystals, cactus skeletons, barnacle clusters, snakeskin sheddings and more. Each element serves as an ingredient that fuels the object with energy and meaning. For instance, barnacles attach to things and other organisms for the duration of their lives. In my sculptures, barnacle clusters bring the energy of “sticking to” changes we want to make in the long-term.
My “Hybrid Device” installations, like the “Karma Planning Device for Future Lifetime Maximization,” consist of vintage items like clock radios, TV antennas, and film cameras, as well as organic elements, from fossilized coral to living air plants and moss. I also create “Elixir Stills & Cure Bottles” by filling found vessels—from perfume bottles to vintage tea pots—with natural materials like herbs, sea horses, stones, and cicadas, all encased in resin. The bottles each help users heal specific issues, like addiction to drama or self-hate, and are consumed by gazing meditatively into the glass vessels rather than ingesting orally. All of my sculptures are accompanied by texts, which are themselves art works and which provide insight into the objects’ purpose and powers.
It isn’t enough for me make visual art about healing and transformation; thus, in addition to my visual work, I also give interactive performances and workshops. These events allow me to connect directly and meaningfully with audiences. I read excerpts from my personal journals and other written works as performance, jumping back and forth through the decades, sharing synchronistic and strange experiences, sometimes interrupting myself to ask the audience questions. I give oracle card readings to individuals in front of audiences and facilitate group oracle exchanges that highlight everyone’s intuition, not just my own. In my workshops I share tools and practices for healing, self-awareness, and growth, using guided meditations, writing exercises, and more. Ultimately, I want my work to help people deepen their relationships with themselves and attain radical self-acceptance and freedom, while stretching imaginations and our understanding of what’s possible.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
One of my favorite things about being an artist is that I have numerous opportunities to connect with a great many brilliant artists. So, I’d love to share some advice on where and how artists can get connected:
Rent studio space in a building that’s buzzing with lots of other artists. You’re bound to find artists with their doors open on ordinary days, and maybe you can pop in, introduce yourself, ask sincerely curious questions about their work, listen well, and if you “click,” it’s that easy. You could also leave your door open, or have an “open studio” day, and fellow artists might be happy to drop in and say “hello.” If the first people you meet happen to be well connected, they may offer to introduce you to other artists in the building and beyond.
Attend open studios. Many art school MFA programs and multi-unit art studio buildings regularly host open studio events where resident artists open up their spaces and share their works with the public. This is a great way to connect with artists whose work resonates with you, by not just snapping photos and walking away, but by giving compliments when you like something, asking questions about artists’ concepts and processes, and seeing where else the conversation may go.
Volunteer with an arts organization, such as a community art center, which might put you in front of a variety of art world professionals, including artists. Those who don’t feel comfortable initiating conversations may find it easier to engage with fellow artists when your volunteer role gives you a reason to talk to people. Plus, you’ll meet other volunteers who may also be artists.
Attend art exhibition opening receptions as well as lectures with receptions. Opening receptions may seem intimidating to those who feel like outsiders. However, if you identify art spaces and artists who align with you and your work, you may find that guests at their opening receptions are down to earth. You may also find that if you attend a reception alone, many others are also alone, approachable, and easy to talk to.
Take a workshop or art class, as the shared learning experience is one of the best ways to develop bonds with other artists.
Lastly, building real connections requires both an openness to meeting people and follow-up. So, remember to exchange contact info and ask the artists you meet whether they’re on social media. Follow them if they are and interact with their posts. When you really feel a mutual “click” with an artist, keep the energy going by doing studio visits with each other, sitting down for coffee and in-depth conversations, supporting them in what they’re doing, and inviting them to support you as well.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I’ll be participating in a project at EXPO CHICAGO in collaboration with arts organizations 6018 North and 3Arts, artist Amanda Williams, and numerous other amazing Chicago-based artists. EXPO takes place at Navy Pier and will be open to the public Friday September 28 through Sunday September 30. I’ll be present in the project space throughout the whole 2018 EXPO weekend.
People can sign up for my mailing list for exhibition, performance, and workshop information through my website: https://www.rhondawheatley.com/contact/.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rhondawheatley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhonda_wheatley/?hl=en
Image Credit:
Image of the bottles only, photo credit: Robert Chase Heishman
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