Ways of Being
2022
November 9 – December 7
SITE 280 Gallery
Photo Documentation by Verónica Rosas
Contributing Artists
Victoria Smits
Exhibition Statement as Preserved in the SUGS/SITE Archives:
Our Way of Being in the world emerges from the attachment behavioral system within our family of origin. The social-emotional and interpersonal development inside the formative relationships of our first caregivers frames current and future engagement, linking theories on emotion regulation and personality. Ways of Being is a pedagogical exploration of the initial and extended impacts of attachment between a child and caregiver. In the revolutionary book, Ways of Seeing, John Berger clarifies the difference between looking and seeing, “The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight” (Berger, 1). By extension, seeing another human necessitates an awareness of complexities in identity rooted in attachment experiences. Our way of existing, of being, begins and forms inside this attachment relationship. This exhibition, with explorations in textile, video, sound, and sculpture, considers the artist’s way of being and elicits a discussion of the phenomenological awareness of ourselves. Understanding the antecedent factors to our current existence and its comparative knowledge elicits a profound effect on relationships.
Programs
Ways of Being: Conversations on Attachment
Dialogue between Victoria Smits and Dr. Kelly Munger
November 10, 4:30-5:30 PM
280 Gallery, Room 319
Program statement from the SUGs/SITE archive:
“Join SITE Galleries for a dialogue between Victoria Smits, artist exhibiting in Ways of Being, and Dr. Kelley Munger as they discuss attachment theory, the ability of attachment styles to change over time, and how attachment intersects with others in relationships. A brief audience engagement will follow.
Dr. Munger holds a BA in English from Auburn University, an MA in Teaching from Lee University, and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Covenant Seminary. She completed her PhD in Early Intervention and Special Education at the University of Oregon in 2019. Munger is a researcher and licensed therapist working in the areas of trauma, adult attachment, special education, and human development.
Ways of Being will be on view in the SITE 280 Gallery from November 9th until December 10th.”
Address
SITE 280 Gallery
280 S. Columbus Dr.
Chicago, IL, 60603
Open Hours
Monday – Friday: 11am – 6pm
Saturday: 11am – 3pm
Sundays: Closed
Holidays: Closed