The COVID-19 pandemic caused many of us to turn our attention inward. The maps found within the Inward/Reflection collection reveal the dual sides of this reflective process. Map-makers show the anxiety, frustration, and fear that COVID has both caused and provided the occasion to observe. Simultaneously, they also highlight the role of art, craft, and creativity in surviving the challenges the pandemic has presented. From puzzles to word-maps to flow charts that place the self in the larger social and cultural context in which COVID manifests, the map-makers showcase the scope of the pandemic’s impact on our inner lives.
Map 33 by: Anonymous
Location: Unknown
Tell us about your map: Not Submitted
Image Description: Image of words listed, left to right: work school masks, closed stress work, family 6 feet, toilet paper sanitizer work finals zoom friends homework government essential lost jobs struggle work tests nurses corona panic. At the top of the page is the word “work” highlighted in yellow. A thick black line connects several words down the page. Connecting the words: stress, 6 feet, paper, work, friends, essential, jobs, work, and nurses. At the end, in the bottom of the page is a yellow highlighted word “home.”
Map 34 by: Denise
Location: Unknown
Tell us about your map: Not Submitted
Image Description: The center of the diagram is a circle with the name “Denise.” Five branches extend from the middle leading to circles that are labeled. At the top right circle includes the words “I have worked at a church in Naperville’s.” On the same branch are two additional circles labeled “I wor_ at __ works.” – “I love to go to work.” Top-left corner circle reads “I build a lot of friendships at rga.” Circle to the left, “My favorite food is Chili.” Bottom-left corner circle, “I live with 6 great women.” Bottom right circle includes the words “Been with rga for 16 yrs.”
Map 35 by: Anne Thursta
Location: Unknown
Tell us about your map: “My MAP During CV-19.”
Image Description: Bottom right corner of the drawing reads “Anne Thursta” and “My MAP During CV-19.” The middle of the drawing is a brown-lined circular path leads to the words “Walking – or exercise The Knee.” To the left of the drawing is a stick figure walking on the path. The stick figure has dark-short brown hair and a smile. In the middle of the circular path is a brown rectangle that reads “My Art Work.” Below that is a green rectangle labeled “Watching Up Dates.” To the right is a green half circle.
Map(s) 36 by: Douglas Kidd
Map 36 By: Douglas Kidd (Part 1 of 4)
Location: Unknown
Image Description: A yellow, red, green and white diagram. With the name “Douglas” in the middle. The middle circle is in red and words “EMTs, Car Accident, Doctors, Nurses, Coma, ICU, Survival appear.” The next circle from the middle is in yellow and includes the words “Reorientation to the World, Joy, Therapy, First Steps, Emergence from Coma, First Words, Amnesia, Sleep, Agitation, Delusions, Pain, Reconnection with Others.” The next circle is in green and reads the words “Employment, Advocacy, Scholarship, Friends and Family, Home, Outpatient Therapy, Grief and Loss, Counseling, Support Groups, Vocational Rehab, Education, Acceptance.” Above that circle includes a area with the words “Uncertainty, Fear, Isolation, Abuse, Loss, Neglect, Poverty, Hunger, Infection, Death, Disability, Trauma, Sorrow, Terror, Anger, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2.” At the top section are the words “Hope, Recovery, Community.” Below the diagram includes the title: “Graphic Interpretation of Personal Journey of Recovery from Severe Traumatic Brain Injury and Social Implication of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) → Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)”
Map 36 By: Douglas Kidd (Part 2 of 4)
Location: Unknown
Image Description: A multicolored diagram connected by arrows and red, orange, yellow, light green and dark green boxes. Titled at the top “Phases of Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury – Activities in Support of an Altered Life and Social Reintegration (Silver) Leading to Personal Reflection on Social Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic of 2020 (Kidd).” The first column to the far left is labeled “Rescue,” and one red box with the words “Traumatic Brain Injury Occurs.” The next column labeled “Acute Care,” with four red boxes from bottom to top read the words “Support from Family, Friends, Medical Personnel” – “Transfer to Hospital” – “Medical Treatment Surgical Procedures” – “If Coma Persists, Management Until Emergence.” Next column labeled “Acute Rehabilitation” has four orange boxes, from bottom to top read the words “Persons Treated then Released – Aftercare” – Acute Inpatient rehabilitation (Occupational, Physical, Speech Therapies)” – “Reconnection with others” – “Long-term care for severely/profoundly impaired individuals.” The next two columns are labeled “Post-Acute Rehabilitation” with yellow and light green boxes. The yellow column from bottom-up reads “Outpatient Rehabilitation (Occupational, Physical, Speech Therapies)” – “Vocational rehabilitation” – “Support Groups” – “Counseling and drug therapies.” The light green column from bottom-up reads “Civic involvement e.g. Vote/Volunteer” – “Education” – “Student Involvement e.g. Student Groups” – “Connection to Disability Orgs.” The next column is labeled “Lifetime” with five dark green boxes read the words from bottom-up “Relationships” – “Recreation, exercise wellness” – “employment” – “advocacy” – “independent living.” Next is a red area labeled “SARS-CoV-2” that branches out. The first red area reads the words “Infection” – “Trauma” – “Terror” – “Death.” The second yellow and orange area reads the words “Neglect” – “Abuse” – “Family” – “Isolation” – “Loss.” The last area in light and dark green includes the words “Poverty” – “Friendship” – “Resilience” – “Hope” – “Community” – “Hunger.”
Author 36 by: Douglas Kidd (Part 3 of 4)
Location: Unknown
Image Description: A screenshot of a narrative that reads:
“Hello, my name is Douglas Kidd. At 4:37 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17, 2005, I initiated a call while driving. Distracted, I failed to yield to an SUV weighing 6,500 pounds and traveling 45 MPH. The car accident caused a severe traumatic brain injury with hemorrhaging, leading to 75 days spent between states of coma and amnesia. My physical injuries included lacerations to rectum and liver; ruptured spleen; abdominal bleeding; compartment syndrome injury to right leg; multiple hip fractures; respiratory failure; two cardiac arrests; days later, nearly succumbed to MRSA. While my experience is largely one of impairment, my journey of recovery involves enhancing physical, cognitive, psychological, emotional abilities, and developing strengths to meet societal demands/challenges. Acceptance of my new identity and life is greatly enhanced through poetic expression. The poems below comprise a map of my recovery in my quest for identity as I move through the world as disabled.
With the exception of the last poem, all emerged well before our society came in contact with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). As I seek to make social adjustments to my accident 15 years ago, poems are methods I’ve used to reconcile the volatile swings of mood and emotion I experience on a daily basis. Poems are expressions of my response to traumatic experience and the social adjustments I’ve been compelled to make. Poetry comprises a significant outlet for my recovery and aids my quest for stability in unfamiliar terrain.”
Author 36 by: Douglas Kidd (Part 4 of 4)
Location: Unknown
Image Description: A screenshot of a poem that reads:
Lost
Centered in The maze I turn
Only to find No way through
Or out bereft of Cognition I spin
Faster – until Smothered by the high
Walls of Achievement that lean
In – cowed by the Temples of know
Forced to (re)build My collapsed mind
Making difficult the Ability to grow
Up & out – Caught – splayed – locked
In by enveloping Coma consuming
All – terrified by People – profound
Uncertainty with the Scope – pacing
Of society – life – Searching for ground
To stabilize – within – Chaotic sowing
And managing of Confusion – weakened
In the midst of the Higher level processing
Required to maintain even a tenuous
Grip – grasp – fragile hold – on reality
Which (re)forms Identity & encourages
Nascent self To (re)Join humanity
Map(s) 37 by: Becca Burrow
Map 37 by: Becca Burrow (Part 1 of 6)
Location: Unknown
Tell us about your map:
1. The first drawing above is an outline of how I feel both in my home and outside my home. The blue square indicate my windows The orange rectangle to get in and out my home that indicates the ramp. This gray area that you see in this picture looks like a tent and that to me is my cave. The very first week of me staying at home and inside I was doing a lot of of art projects and other things.
Image Description: A drawing of a home that displays a thick black rectangle that outlines the outer part of the home. Two thick blue rectangles at the top represent windows. The thin, orange rectangle at the bottom left represents a ramp. The gray area in the middle right represents a tent.
Map 37 by: Becca Burrow (Part 2 of 6)
Location: Unknown
Tell us about your map:
2. “This picture is the very first picture of me outside it was a Sunday afternoon actually it was March 15 the first weekend that I had to stay home this was the weekend that COVID-19 started.
Becca Burrow
My diagnosis is cerebral palsy I was diagnosed at birth.”
Image Description: Becca, a light-skinned person with blonde short hair, is outside on the deck on a bright day with their black-coated dog. Becca wears thick, black-rimmed glasses and is drinking an orange beverage with one hand and holding a leash in the other hand. They also wear a thick blue coat, grey pants, and grey shoes. Becca is also a wheelchair user.
Map 37 by: Becca Burrow (Part 3 of 6)
Location: Unknown
Tell us about your map:
3. This picture above is a picture of me the weekend before the work virtual video for Garden Center Services
Image Description: Becca, a light-skinned person with blonde short hair, is within their home. They wear thick, black-rimmed glasses and are smiling at the camera. They also wear a blue short-sleeved shirt with red lettered text that reads, “Garden Center STRONG” and grey pants.
Map 37 by: Becca Burrow (Part 4 of 6)
Location: Unknown
Tell us about your map:
4. This butterfly above is a sun catcher with stickers it may look like a painting but it’s made out of the stickers and the frame had mold of where the stickers went this was the very first project that I did in the first week that I was home
Image Description: A photo of a multicolored-heart shaped sticker suncatcher of a butterfly and flower.
Map 37 by: Becca Burrow (Part 5 of 6)
Location: Unknown
Tell us about your map:
5. This picture is of a puzzle it was 1000 piece puzzle that my sister and I did one weekend when it was raining and that’s a puzzle of cereal boxes from the 70s
Image Description: A photo of a 1,000-piece puzzle. Starting from the top left corner to bottom right corner: “Sugar Crisp, Corn Bursts, Post Toasties, Cap’n Crunch, Maypo, Corn Crackos, Wheaties, Post’s Grape-Nuts Flakes, KIX, Frosty 0’s, Quake, King Vitaman, Honey Comb, Trix, Post’s Raisin Bran, Coco Puffs, Quisp, Rice Honey’s, Post Crispy Critters, Shredded Wheat, Cheerios, Wheat Chex, Beech Nut Oatmeal, Sparkled Flakes, Life, Toasties Corn Flakes, Golden Grahams, Sugar Jets, Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”
Map 37 by: Becca Burrow (Part 6 of 6)
Location: Unknown
Tell us about your map:
6. This picture above is a picture of a suncatcher with dolphins and a rainbow made from stickers and I had to match each of the stickers to each part of the suncatcher that was molded
Image Description: A photo of a multicolored-circle shaped sticker suncatcher of a rainbow, two dolphins, and two shells in the sky.
