Am I Okay? Burn It Down … The Transformation … And Renewal, at EP Studio

This fall, EP Studio presents Am I Okay?, a solo exhibition by Cleveland artist and designer Michelle Trogdon. Bringing together jewelry, accessories, and mixed-media artworks, the exhibition explores themes of identity, resilience, and transformation.

Drawing from her background in fine art, graphic design, and years in Charlotte’s maker community, Trogdon creates work that blurs the line between functional object and personal narrative. Through carefully crafted forms and symbolic imagery, she transforms lived experience into expressions of growth, reflection, and renewal.

The exhibition unfolds in three movements–Burn It Down, The Transformation, and Renewal–guiding viewers through moments of realization, introspection, and emergence. Influences ranging from Lotería iconography and mineral thin sections to birds, florals, and coastal landscapes create a rich visual language that speaks to both struggle and possibility. Throughout the work, handcrafted objects become vessels for storytelling, carrying themes of emotional weight, self-reliance, liberation, and rebirth.

At its core, Am I Okay? reflects on the ways we navigate change and rebuild ourselves after life’s disruptions. Rather than seeking a definitive answer, the work embraces transformation as an ongoing process. Through sculpture, adornment, and storytelling, Trogdon invites viewers to consider how beauty, strength, and self-understanding can emerge from even life’s most challenging chapters.

Michelle Trogdon: Am I Okay?
October 16 – November 20
EP Studios
78th Street Studios Ramp Level
1305 West 780th Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44102