Faculty of Arts & Science

Criticism and Curatorial Practice

Cait Toenjes

Instruments of Care

Series

“Instruments of Care extends the ceramic pill bottle series by including three essential tools of treatment: a thermometer, a face mask, and a pill organizer. Each object was recreated in clay, not as mere replicas, but as vessels of memory and routine. Amidst the haze of chemo-induced brain fog, the pill organizer became vital for tracking doses; the medical mask, its sterile scent deeply embedded in the experience, signaled both protection and fear; the thermometer, ever looming, was a reminder that a fever above 38°C could mean emergency.These tools were not accessories to treatment—they were instruments of survival. By elevating them into sculptural form, the work calls for recognition of their emotional weight and embodied presence, resisting their erasure from the broader narrative of illness. ”