Sonja Henderson, Eye of Ma'at, 2018
Her feminine forms and earthworks speak to sacred space, placemaking and cultural identity. Sonja’s installations challenge our perception of the world and socio-political constructs through manipulation of media, scale, and re-contextualization of form.
Sonja Henderson received her B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Painting and Drawing and received her M.F.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, where she concentrated in Sculpture and Installation. At Berkeley, Sonja created life-size earthworks and temporal structures made of clay, earth, twigs and organic materials calling attention to original architecture. Her feminine forms and earthworks speak to sacred space, placemaking and cultural identity. Sonja’s installations challenge our perception of the world and socio-political constructs through manipulation of media, scale, and re-contextualization of form. In Chicago, Sonja collaborates with several agencies including: Illinois Humanities, Urban Gateways, SAIC Homan Square and Chicago Public Art Group where she uses Restorative and Social Justice practices centering equity, healing and Human Rights. In addition to teaching, Sonja also creates large scale public artwork like the MLK Living Memorial, which re-imagines monuments and memorials, encourages communal healing and gives voice to collective storytelling. Sonja has recently unveiled the first Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Memorial, receiving Congressional Recognition, and she is set to exhibit the first temporal quilted flag memorial for the women and mothers in Lawndale. Sonja founded the Mothers Healing Circle (MHC) in January of 2020, a healing justice organization which helps heal Lawndale mothers who have lost their children to violence. Together, through rejuvenating workshops, storytelling, singing and yoga the Mothers have a sacred and collective healing space to disrupt cycles of trauma and suffering.