“Lost Playground” is a short documentary film about an artist’s struggle with her past as a child sexual abuse survivor. Sheri Ranger was diagnosed in her early 20s with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, depression and among other things. Equipped with tenacity to survive, she overcame all obstacles and became a successful artist. Sheri’s art played a vital role in her rehabilitation and battle with mental health issues and it remained as her source of strength and solace.
FADE IN:
On screen:
Workman Arts presents: Portraits of Extraordinary Minds Project
LOST PLAYGROUND: William Sabado
FASHION SHOW
Models walking on runway, changes to woman working on outfit on a model.
SHERI RANGER (NARRATING)
Recently I started working with textiles, one of the projects I signed up for with Workman Arts was the wearable art project called “Mad Couture”. I decided to focus on addiction issues and the glamorization of addiction.
CUT TO:RUNWAY
Changes to one on one interview with Sheri and scenes to a playground
SHERI
I grew up in the greater Toronto area, in Mississauga, Etobicoke, and Brampton. I moved to Everett, Ontario when I was 15 years old, which I actually found to be a rather traumatic experience moving from the big city to a small town. Growing up I did get a lot of attention from my family but there were times that I did feel isolated. I wouldn’t go and play with other kids. If there were children in the playground I wouldn’t go to the playground. My mother was always trying to get me to go outside and play but a lot of the time I wouldn’t want to play with other children I would only go outside and play if there was nobody else around, so I kind of liked being alone.
Flashes to Sheri’s artwork
SHERI (CONT’D)
A lot of the art I made as a teenager was maybe a little bit dark at times, I found myself using images and ideas almost trying to signal people that I really wasn’t ok. I believe that the mental illness was diagnosed and has stemmed from my childhood abuse. I was sexually abused as a child so I suffered a lot of anxiety issues and it’s all focused on that. The type of mental illness that I have been diagnosed with is obsessive compulsive disorder. OCD affected my life in many different ways, it still affects my life in many different ways. As a teenager I suffered extreme, extreme pain and anxiety. And I didn’t know how to cope. I was horrible angry, and horribly sad. And I didn’t know what to do with it.
Intermittent scenes of Sherri painting and creating art.
SHERI (CONT’D)
I received a variety of different types of therapies, the best therapy I received I received was art therapy. It encouraged me to use art as a form of expression, and to get the bad feelings out of my head. Art to me is a form of expression, coping mechanism, platform to maybe change people’s minds or put new ideas into people’s heads. It gives me confidence to approach subjects I maybe wouldn’t feel totally comfortable going out and speaking out about.
Now I’m doing a lot of stuff about addiction and mental health issues, and I’m going to venturing into abuse issues with my art, which isn’t maybe something I would normally just walk down the street talking about.
CUT TO:One on one interview with Sheri
SHERI (CONT’D)
There’s been big moments in recent years for me that helped to shift my thinking and helped to change my perception of myself and my mental health issue. I was married, I lost my husband to cancer in 2007. And that had a huge impact on me and how I view myself and what’s important to me and I don’t want to spend my life freaking out and having panic attacks, and feeling bad about myself. I want to change things because you don’t know how much time you’ve got, and you don’t know what tomorrow can bring so I don’t want to spend my life being unhappy. I want to be empowered and take on the world and put myself out there and be confident, and not be afraid all the time.
My name is Sheri Ranger and I’m a visual artist.
Discuss