'Election Therapy' collaborative art, 2024, mixed media, 52x96 inches. Concept by Stephanie Krimmel and Sue Springer
‘Election Therapy’ was a collaborative art project designed to help people convert election-related stress into creative energy that leaves them feeling hopeful, included and reconciled with living in the United States right now.
We convened in several sessions in October and November 2024 to collage, paint, draw and write, creating individual pieces that together form a vibrant version of the American Flag, a symbol of unity, shared purpose and love for our country.
Our finished flag was displayed in the Shift Gallery window in Seattle, WA during the month of December, 2024.
A year later and nine months into a new administration, we conducted another set of workshops with a broader group exploring people's complicated relationships with their American identities. Over the course of September and October 2025, 50-75 people contributed to the new work, called "Creative Freedom" which was displayed as a dynamic work in progress in the Shift Gallery window in October 2025.
While 'Election Therapy' and 'Creative Freedom' look the same at first glance, a closer examination reveals significant differences in attitude and sentiment.
'ELECTION THERAPY' 2024
Artmaking workshop for Election Therapy, 2024
Artmaking workshop for Election Therapy, 2024
Individual works produced for Election Therapy, 2024
Individual works produced for Election Therapy, 2024
Election Therapy, 2024, installation view
'CREATIVE FREEDOM' 2025
Creative Freedom, mixed media, 52 x 96 inches, 2025, collaborative artwork co-conceived by Stephanie Krimmel and Sue Springer.
Creative Freedom, 2025
Creative Freedom, 2025 (detail)
Artmaking workshop for Creative Freedom
Creative Freedom, 2025 (detail)
Artmaking workshop for Creative Freedom
Creative Freedom, work in progress
