Pam McDonnell was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1969 and has resided in Memphis, Tennessee since 1996. Her alma mater is the University of Memphis where she completed her BFA in 2005 and her MFA in 2023. She uses sculpture, painting and hand-built stoneware to tell the story of “the body as a container” for the psychic products we develop. Her work uses religious tropes and language to highlight the sacred nature of the psyche and the process by which trauma is alchemized into joy.

She grounds her research in theories developed by depth psychologist Carl Jung and the many post-Jungian analysts who have expanded on his original idea “that the psyche speaks to us through symbol, story and myth.” She has been exhibiting her work in the Memphis area since 2014 and has pieces in the public collections of West Cancer Center, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Church Health Center and Iberia Bank.

She has volunteered her time to serve on the board of ArtsMemphis and has also served in various capacities on committees within the community to support and further the arts in Memphis. Pam is a co-founder and director of Shapeshifter Art School and Gallery. Visit her work at www.pam-mcdonnell.com