Community Mood Project 

Solo Exhibition by Rae Cozart

November 14 - 18, 2023

More About Community Mood Project

I like to explore escapism in my installations, making an alternative space of being for my mind. At 20 years old I began using art to explore my experiences with neurodivergence. By sharing a peek into my experiences, I am advocating for myself and my community. 

The RX Garden and Community Mood Blanket are community-based projects. After a session with my therapist at the time, I realized I was on auto-pilot when responding after she asked me “How are you?” I would reply “Good” even if I wasn’t. I’ve noticed how societally “How are you?” is more like a call and response than an active question. This inspired the Community Mood Blanket. My first therapist introduced me to Gloria Wilcox’s feelings wheel to help me name my feelings. I made an anonymous form with the Feelings Wheel for people to use whenever they need it. I used yarn corresponding to the colors on the wheel and each response is a color row added to the blanket. The lifesize plush and video edit were born and developed through journal entry sketches, and images I received while imagining a place I wanted to escape to.

Thank you to the UNC School of the Arts and the Thomas S. Kenan Institute of Arts for funding this project.

More About Rae 

Rae Cozart (they/she) is a multidisciplinary artist from Greensboro, North Carolina. They were raised surrounded by the arts and enjoy exploring the intersections between disciplines through collaboration and experimentation. Rae earned their BFA in contemporary dance from UNC School of the Arts in 2022.

Rae works in fiber art, digital art, Linocut printmaking, and charcoal mediums. Mental health research and advocacy, escapism, and surrealism greatly inspire their work.

Learn more at www.raecozart.com; follow on IG: @raemarieart