Sonja Langford, first-prize winner of the Mattatuck Museum’s 2026 MIXMASTER competition, brings us on a journey through her research in history and local archives. Sonja Langford: Archives of Care reveals the complex, and sometimes disturbing, history of healthcare and access to bodily autonomy. Concerned with the history of American gynecology, Langford presents her interrogations through documents, photography, and installation projects, culminating in an immersive exhibition that invites viewers to engage with difficult histories while considering our witnessing and reflections as acts of care.
Sonja Langford (b. 1994, St. Augustine, Florida) is an artist and researcher raised in the American South. She received her MFA from the University of Connecticut and holds a BA in art history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her interdisciplinary practice encompasses photography, book-making, social practice, and installation, all exploring the intersections of medical history, gender, and power. Through her research on American gynecology, Langford investigates how past narratives shape present realities, illuminating the silences and structures that persist in contemporary healthcare. Her approach is informed by her background in facilitation and leadership education, grounding her studio practice in collaboration, reflection, and collective meaning-making. Sonja’s work has been exhibited nationally and supported by exhibitions, residencies, and curatorial projects that bridge research, care, and community, including at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (Ridgefield, Connecticut), the Mattatuck Museum (Waterbury, Connecticut), and the McColl Center (Charlotte, North Carolina).
This exhibition is organized by Julie Francois, Art Bridges Curatorial Projects Manager Fellow.
