Tarot started as simply a deck of playing cards in Europe, and throughout centuries transformed into ornate decks full of powerful archetypes and immense cultural significance. What began from a game, has expanded into thousands upon thousands of decks and inspired art, writing, music, and more. Tarot has become a tool that offers us a reflection into minds, hearts, and souls. Tarot has become an invitation to immerse ourselves in stories of past, present, and future. Both individual and collective. Temporary and eternal.

Childhood trauma is an experience many in this world resonate with, but unfortunately few spaces exist to safely share our complex stories of survival, healing, and thriving from that trauma. Archetypes of Healing was born out of the idea that art has the power to alchemize trauma into a source of personal and collective power. When we create art and share our stories from an embodied place, we replace violence and shame with safety and compassion. When we create and share in community, we catalyze isolation into connection. Art becomes a container for our complex realities, and reflection of our most authentic experiences.

Therefore, Archetypes of Healing exists at the intersection of generations of stories. The stories of the artists featured here, the stories of all survivors of childhood trauma, the stories imbued into tarot throughout centuries, and the stories of those of you who are viewing this exhibition right now. Though we may never cross paths in person, we are all intimately connected. We are all bringing our own perspectives and lived experiences into this space to enrich it, nourish it, and, hopefully, learn from it.

So while the survivor-artists featured in this exhibition are sharing their individual life experience through their art, they are not alone in being witnessed and honored. There have been generations of survivors throughout humanity, and their presence can be felt in our bodies, our minds, and communities. We could not be here to share our stories without their survival.

Let Archetypes of Healing be a reminder of the power of coming together and making the choice to share our truths, the power of witnessing, and the power of transformation. Feel the weave of support from the survivors who have come before us, and the survivors that will come after us. We cannot heal in isolation.