Key Terms

 

Key Terms = The themes, subjects, and concepts explored in the artwork. These terms make the archive searchable by what the work is about, its conceptual content, health contexts, and social themes.

🔍 How to Select Key Terms

  1. Choose the appropriate hierarchy level: Sometimes a broad term like "Chronic illness" is sufficient; other times you need specificity like "Endometriosis." The hierarchy below allows you to record specificity while maintaining broader searchability.

  2. Limit to 3-6 terms per work: Unlike materials and genre, key terms benefit from a slightly higher count to capture thematic richness. However, avoid keyword stuffing. Each term should meaningfully describe the work's content.

  3. Be specific. Our archive rules mean that you have to limit words to what is listed below. Choose the best options.

  4. Examples are provided at the bottom of the page.

Hierarchy Key Terms List

 

Health Conditions & Experiences

Physical Health

  • Chronic illness (broad term)

    • Autoimmune disease

      • Endometriosis

      • Thyroid dysfunction

      • Arthritis

    • Cancer

      • Breast cancer

      • Metastatic cancer

    • Heart disease

      • Heart surgery

      • Cardiac condition

    • Neurological

      • Epilepsy

      • Migraine

      • FND (Functional Neurological Disorder)

      • Spine injury

    • HIV/AIDS

    • Long COVID

Mental Health

  • Mental illness (broad term)

    • Depression

      • Bipolar depression

      • Postpartum depression

    • Anxiety

    • OCD

    • PTSD

    • Psychosis

    • Schizophrenia

    • Dissociative Identity Disorder

    • Mood disorder

    • Suicidality

Disability & Neurodivergence

  • Disability (broad term)

    • Physical disability

    • Low vision/Blindness

    • Neurodivergence

      • Autism

      • ADHD

      • FASD

    • Madness (artist-used term)

    • Crip (artist-used identity term)

Addiction & Recovery

  • Addiction (broad term)

    • Substance use

    • Recovery

    • Harm reduction

Body & Embodiment

The Body

  • Body (broad term)

    • Embodiment

    • Disembodiment

    • Bodily autonomy

    • Body image

    • Anatomy

      • Ecorché

      • Skeletal

      • Medical imaging

      • X-ray

Specific Body Parts/Systems

  • Brain

  • Heart

  • Spine

  • Uterus

  • Reproductive system

  • Thyroid

Body Experiences

  • Pain (broad term)

    • Chronic pain

    • Pain flare

    • Feminized pain

  • Exhaustion

  • Sleep/Insomnia

  • Movement

    • Kinesthetic

    • Interior perception

  • Seizure

  • Dissociation

  • Derealization

Medical Systems & Encounters

Clinical Experience

  • Patient narrative (broad term)

    • Autopathography

    • Patient experience

    • Patient-doctor dynamics

    • Medical trauma

    • Clinical encounter

    • Hospitalization

    • Hospice care

    • Palliative care

    • Spiritual care

Medical Interventions

  • Treatment journey (broad term)

    • Surgery

      • Heart surgery

      • Gender-affirming surgery

      • Hysterectomy

    • Chemotherapy

    • Hypnotherapy

    • Medical transition

    • Stitching/Sutures

Medical Systems & Critique

  • Medicalization (broad term)

    • Medical racism

    • Misogynoir

    • Medicalized misogyny

    • Systemic neglect

    • Healthcare inequity

    • Barriers to care

    • Biopolitics

    • Datification

    • Medical research

    • Neuroscience research

Medical Objects & Technologies

  • Medical instruments

    • Stethoscope

    • EEG

    • Surgical tools

  • Medical imaging

    • X-ray

    • MRI

    • Ultrasound

  • Pharmaceuticals

  • Receipt/medical paperwork

Identity & Social Context

Identity

  • Identity (broad term)

    • Self-portrait

    • Embodied identity

    • Dualities

    • Plurality/Parts

Gender

  • Gender (broad term)

    • Femininity

    • Masculinity

    • Transgender

    • Non-binary

    • Gender-affirming care

    • Misogyny

    • Feminized pain

Race & Culture

  • Race (broad term)

    • Black experience

    • Black female experience

    • Indigenous

      • Indigenous ways of knowing

      • Indigenous resilience

      • Sixties Scoop

    • Migration

    • Diaspora

    • Cultural erasure

Sexuality

  • Queer (broad term)

    • Queer joy

    • Queer inheritance

Aging

  • Aging (broad term)

    • Older adults

    • Ageism

    • Memory and aging

Care & Relationships

Care

  • Care (broad term)

    • Caregiving

    • Caregiver

    • Family caregiving

    • Mutual aid

    • Self-care

    • Ethics of care

    • Comfort

    • Support

Relationships

  • Relationships (broad term)

    • Therapeutic companionship

    • Community

    • Intergenerational

    • Love

Emotions & Interior States

Emotions

  • Emotion (broad term)

    • Grief

    • Loss

    • Hope

    • Fear

    • Trust

    • Joy

Interior States

  • Interiority (broad term)

    • Inner voices

    • Cognitive fog

Resilience & Transformation

Resilience

  • Resilience (broad term)

    • Perseverance

    • Survival

    • Recovery

    • Healing

    • Transformation

Resistance

  • Resistance (broad term)

    • Crip resistance

    • Biomimetic resistance

    • Decolonial

    • Protest

Memory & Time

Memory

  • Memory (broad term)

    • Collective memory

    • Intergenerational knowledge

    • Cultural memory

Time

  • Time (broad term)

    • Temporality

    • Transitions

    • Futurities

Artistic Process & Form (as subject)

Artistic Process

  • Creative process (broad term)

    • Mark-making

    • Layering

    • Deconstruction

    • Play

Art as Subject

  • Art as witness

  • Art as healing

  • Art as survival

  • Art and identity

Sample Key Term Combinations

Here are some previous combinations as a reference:

Endometriosis piece

Endometriosis; Chronic pain; Feminized pain; Medicalized misogyny; Patient narrative; Resilience

Transgender identity work

Transgender; Gender-affirming care; Bodily autonomy; Self-portrait; Queer joy; Resilience

Dementia and caregiving

Dementia; Memory; Caregiving; Family caregiving; Aging; Grief

Chronic illness

Chronic illness; Embodiment; Pain; Resilience

Indigenous health

Indigenous; Indigenous ways of knowing; Intergenerational knowledge; Healing; Resilience

Mental health fragmentation

Mental illness; Psychosis; Dissociation; Fragmentation; Inner voices; Survival

Medical system critique

Medical racism; Systemic neglect; Healthcare inequity; Patient narrative; Social commentary

Crip identity

Disability; Crip; Crip resistance; Embodied difference; Mutual aid; Imagining futurities