{"id":27404,"date":"2026-03-21T09:54:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=27404"},"modified":"2026-03-21T10:17:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T14:17:31","slug":"crafting-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2026\/03\/21\/crafting-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Crafting the Mind’ At Somerville Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“What would have happened to me if I’d been treated in the 19th century?” wondered Rachel May after receiving care for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in 2010 at McLean Hospital, whose main campus is in Belmont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explores that question in the group exhibition “Crafting The Mind,” on view at the Somerville Museum<\/a> from Jan. 15 to March 28, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When McLean Hospital, New England\u2019s first psychiatric hospital opened in Somerville\u2019s Barrell Mansion in 1818, patients were encouraged to create textiles and other crafts as part of the institution’s \u201c’moral cure,’ an approach to treatment that emphasized compassionate care, access to nature, and patient activities,” according to May and co-curator Danielle Krcmar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kate
Kate Holcomb Hale, “Use Both Hands When Climbing. Do Not Overreach,” 2026 (draped over stairs).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The connection between the Somerville Museum and McLean is that the Barrell Mansion\u2019s original flying staircase is now part of the museum. A weaving loom featured in the exhibit symbolizes how, in the 19th century, McLean’s treatment offered patients a loom room, basket weaving, sewing circles, woodworking, gardening, nature walks, and gymnasiums with ladders, mats, and exercise balls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The artists in this show,” May and Krcmar write, “speak to many of these complex issues and themes, and how sewing, weaving, embroidering, dyeing, and other fabric arts provide opportunities for meditation, self-reflection, slowing down, embracing radical joy, processing pain and grief, and connecting with family and ancestors.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition features artworks by Betty Antoine, Amy Caliri, Cicely Carew, Mimi Clark, Alison Doucette, Leah Dunn, Farah Faustin, Samantha Fields, If\u00e9 Franklin, Kate Holcomb Hale, Jan Johnson, Kayla Johnson, Lauren Leone, Joetta Maue, Michele Moran, Loretta Park, Carl Phillips, Darryl Richards, Carter Shocket, Josie Sosa, Matthew Treggiari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

If this is the kind of coverage of arts, cultures and activisms you appreciate, please support Wonderland by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And sign up for our free, occasional newsletter<\/a> so that you don’t miss any of our reporting. (All content \u00a9 Greg Cook 2026 or the respective creato<\/em>rs.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\""Crafting
“Crafting the Mind” exhibition at Somerville Museum, March 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ife
Ife Franklin, “Tea towel quilt for my grandmother,” 2003.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ife
Ife Franklin, “Tea towel quilt for my grandmother,” 2003.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Crafting
“Crafting the Mind” exhibition at Somerville Museum, March 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Samantha
Samantha Fields, “Too much and it’s still not enough,” 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Samantha
Samantha Fields, “I Tasted the Fruit,” 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Samantha
Samantha Fields, “I Tasted the Fruit,” 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Kayla
Kayla Johnson, “Untitled (Vegetable),” 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Joetta
Joetta Maue, “Sweet Dreams Come from the Ashes of Nightmares,” 2014.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Rachel
Rachel May, “To Live,” 2010.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Rachel
Rachel May, “To Live,” 2010.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Danielle
Danielle Krcmar, “Little Plot,” 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Loretta
Loretta Park, “Nothing Matches, Everything Shines,” 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Loretta
Loretta Park, “Nothing Matches, Everything Shines,” 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Loretta
Loretta Park, “Nothing Matches, Everything Shines,” 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jan
Jan Johnson, “Chart of you, me, the baby, the guest and god,” 2009.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Cicely
Cicely Carew, “Meaning made. Meaning maid,” 2026 (left), and Carter Shocket, “T-Shot Clock,” 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Betty
Betty Antoine, “Teddy Bear,” 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Samantha
Samantha Fields, “Mended in peach,” 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Crafting
“Crafting the Mind” exhibition at Somerville Museum, March 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“What would have happened to me if I’d been treated in the 19th century?” wondered Rachel May after receiving care for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in 2010 at McLean Hospital, whose main campus is in Belmont. She explores that question in the group exhibition “Crafting The Mind,” on view at the Somerville Museum from Jan. 15 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[99,1361,878,1362,999],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27404"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27404"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27416,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27404\/revisions\/27416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}