aBOUT SARAH RASKEY
Sarah Raskey is a visionary artist, a licensed clinical professional psychotherapist, a certified art therapist and a former graduate art therapy/psychology professor at both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and DePaul University. She is the owner of Sarah Raskey Fine Art Gallery in the West Loop where she exhibits her work exclusively. Sarah is also the co-founder/owner of Open Avenue Therapy, a Chicago-based private psychotherapy practice since 2008.
As an artist, Sarah believes in changing the way people look at art. She is dedicated to artistic and transformative living, creative design, and evolving global and social awareness through the arts. She has exhibited nationally and internationally since 2000, and has created a prolific volume of work in both residential and commercial settings.
At the forefront of all things experimental and mixed media, her work often includes combinations of light, natural crystals, textiles, glass, metal, stone, as well as an array of additional various and ever-changing materials. Sarah uses her unconventional palette to orchestrate combinations of mixtures and mediums in anything but traditional applications. By using transformative art techniques in a fashion similar to that of an alchemist, she is able to capture complex concepts making so much of her work part painting, part sculpture and entirely unique.
Sarah’s work touches upon a plethora of references including planetary consciousness, energetic frequencies, healing and ancient wisdom traditions, symbolism, expanding consciousness, and the sacredness of the creative spirit. She is determined to use her work to speak of things such as the human condition and compassionate oneness.
These days Sarah balances her time between her art studio, fine art gallery and her private psychotherapy practice. She continues to be best known for not only her emotionally captivating artwork, but for her psychotherapy services specializing in working with artists, musicians, entertainers and other creatives. For more information: THERAPY
ARTISTIC VISION
I believe that art is an opportunity for the kind of expression that leads to contemplation, awakening, inspiration and evolution that can ultimately help manifest compassionate oneness throughout our planet. Art makes me come alive in a way that nothing else does. It has shaped how I see the world and my connection to everything in it. I am fascinated by art’s ability to deepen our communication in meaningful and transformative ways which allow for a more harmonic existence. In a world of diverse inhabitants, I cannot help but reflect upon the expansive layers of our co-existence and the unmistakable interconnectedness between all things. I feel that so much of our emotional and physical survival is dependent upon the understanding, honoring, communicating, and protecting of this myriad of interconnectedness. And so, I continue to be humbled and inspired by the sheer art of living, and by all of the complexities, resiliency, beauty, messiness, mystery and wonder that it entails. Each piece of my art speaks of the hidden landscapes beyond our sight and all around us. During my creative process I tend to become tapped in but elsewhere, making each piece a glimpse of a collective psyche of sorts and a reflection of a creative moment forged in candid sincerity. In an absence of shields and armor, these paintings are real and brave, honest and imperfect, personal, yet universal. This is contemporary art with old soul. - Sarah Raskey
INVOLVEMENT
Sarah is involved in many philanthropic organizations for both humanitarian and animal activist efforts both in the US and globally. Sarah continues to be an active member of the American Art Therapy Association since 2002. She frequently provides community outreach such as lectures, presentations and workshops on various topics regarding therapy, art and spirituality, and the power of the creative spirit.
In 2008, Sarah created The Giving Gallery, a Chicago-based organization/art gallery that united artists and musicians passionate in using their energy and talent in making a difference in the world through the arts and social activism. Proceeds generated from the Gallery were donated to various charities Sarah is affiliated with. Sarah continues to donate art pieces and live painting to many non-for-profits and has served on the board for several art and mental health organizations. She believes deeply that art can serve as an invaluable resource when it comes to creating positive change in our communities and within the world we live.