Carolyn Guerin is an emerging artist from Buffalo, NY. Carolyn graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2023 with a BFA in 2D fine arts. She received both departmental and academic honors. Carolyn is currently pursuing her MFA at Purdue University.
Carolyn has curated and installed numerous galleries including spaces on college campuses as well as galleries from her time at Buffalo Art Studios.
Artist Statement
Carolyn finds major significance in making work about her experience living with a non-verbal autistic brother who requires 24 hour care and supervision. She began painting areas of his daily life trying to gain a better understanding of her feelings growing up with an autistic brother. As Carolyn was working through her feelings she was also gaining a much better understanding of her brothers’ autism. Why did he have preferred items? Why did he not like change? Why did he have meltdowns? Why did he group his belongings the way he does? Carolyn realized that all of these actions/reactions were forms of communication. Portraying his daily life through her art gives him a voice. The questions Carolyn received when she initially showed her work made her realize there were a lot of misconceptions in regard to the severity of her brothers’ autism. Carolyn hopes to bring greater understanding and acceptance for non-verbal autistic individuals like her brother and their families by visually sharing their story through her work with those that have never experienced it. The overwhelming, immersive nature of her paintings reflect her experience, and the overall impact autism has on a family.
Carolyn’s current practices are primarily as a painter and a printmaker that prefers large scale media. In Carolyn’s recent work she has been experimenting by combining the two practices together. Her work often includes pop culture and nostalgia. These childhood themes that Carolyn grew up around have become many of her brothers’ “preferred” items and in turn often appear in her paintings and accompaniment pieces.
Carolyn combines her pop culture driven work with her work about autism. These nostalgic references provide the viewer with a sense of curiosity and allows them to relate more directly with the scenes. Carolyn’s work becomes approachable through this shared symbolism, and that opens the door to meaningful conversations around the work. Carolyn is interested in pushing the connection between these bold pop-culture characters and the introspective spaces her family occupies.
Carolyn Guerin 