Courtney Bennett

The question “What do I do with my hands?” is often a comic reaction to social anxiety, awkwardness, or discomfort. My work explores an alternative meaning by using hands as a way to contextualize the body within physical space. From communicating to making art to navigating the world, my hands grant physical and expressive access. By projecting footage of places I occupy onto acrylic paintings, I explore hands as a metaphor for access, resources, power, and privilege. I present this work as a challenge to myself and other art therapists. How are we caring for others? How are we showing up? How are we working to disrupt injustice? Within the spaces and social contexts we occupy—within our jobs, communities, and relationships—I pose the question: what are we doing with our hands?