Abigail Robichaud
Abigail Robichaud, originally from Woodstock, Connecticut, moved to Boston in 2015 to pursue a career in Fine Arts. In the past four years, she has emerged as an interdisciplinary and socially engaged artist. Her current work addresses themes such as childhood trauma and memory through a variety of mediums and is interested in participation and psychological projection within her audience. Her work and social practice alike emphasize the importance of acceptance and healing in the aftermath of traumatic experiences, as well as promoting social change on a larger scale. After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts in May 2019, Abigail will remain at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts to pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching with expected graduation in Spring 2020. In addition to being an artist and bartender, Abigail is also the face of the SMFA mailroom, arguably her greatest achievement to date. Abigail has two little brothers named Sullivan and Michael, who are 3 and 4 (almost five!) who enjoy mini-M&Ms, the PJ masks on Disney Junior, and weigh a combined 91 lbs. When she is not at school or work, she enjoys spicy tequila and working out (not in that order).
My work is the aftermath of domicile childhood trauma. Growing up as a poor child in a rich community, I felt I often had to hide behind the facade of wealth that my town presented. In my home, I was uncomfortable and emotionally distant, and I have only recently begun to understand the ways in which trauma has affected not only my work, but also emotions, interests, and modes of thinking. In establishing walls that mimic a home, my work presents a chaotic, dysfunctional, and at times, eerie mood with the implications of a distraught familial narrative. My interests in childhood memory and observation are highlighted in imagery, objects, and still lives often prompting the viewer to take on a child-like state of mind to experience the work. While my portfolio is vast, including mediums such as painting, photography, installation, and graphic arts, I have become comfortable calling myself a Socially Engaged Artist, creating work about the social issue I am most passionate about, child advocacy. Much of my time is spent reflecting on my childhood and has influenced my decision to become an Arts Educator. Emotional neglect and the turning of blind eyes throughout my childhood have made me struggle with the internalization of my emotions, resulting in the externalization of them as my work as an artist. My goal is to shed light on these discomforting situations that are reality in lives of many children, and in my career, I hope to offer comfort and stability in the lives of others who are experiencing childhood the way I did.