We're having another art show opening with a silent auction for First Friday's Art Walk. Hopefully we'll get people out to see us. We are doing better in our practice. I think we all made rent this month!! yeah!!!
Wonder what about the idea of art therapy or creative therapies puts people off. Why does it seem as if it is not real therapy? I practice both art therapy and traditional psychotherapy and art therapy is definately less emotionally invasive for the client to deal with issues. And it builds up self-esteem while it deals with pain and fears. Something the client can't get with traditional therapy that delves into one and expects reciprication and the development of insight. Art and other creative therapies do that as well but also give the client a safer and more creative avenue to express it in. The creation of art also provides a means to sublimate internalized fears and anger ... through the creation of a product in which to capture the expression. This capturing of fears, truamas, anger, etc. allows the client to face these issues as a mangable thing, something small enough to fit on a page.
But art therapy also allows so much more to get past the internal censors and so perhaps that is why it is scarier for people to participate in it. They know instinctively more of them will "show" so to speak. And so they dismiss it.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Memory Fabrics and Dirt Girls
Yesterday I went to Baltimore to the Visionary Art Museum and saw a neat show: Race, Class, Gender ≠ Character.
"Among humans, much is made of our many apparent differences—masculine and feminine, rich and poor, light and dark skin tone. Yet there is one profound and global constant that should shape our values: those attributes that we value most in ourselves and in others, and that transcend the strictures of religion, parentage, place, and time. In English, we call these desirables "character," but in every language and culture there is wisdom aimed at defining and championing attainment of these kindred and universal beneficent ideals."
Some interesting and expressive outsider art was in the show. There was an exhibit of "memory fabrics" by South Africa women living in apartheid. The instruction was for them to create out of fabric "A Day I Will Never Forget." The fabric pieces, resembling quilt squares, are beautiful and powerful.
This would be a great directive for an art therapy group.
Another exhibit was of small dolls by Linda St. John that filled the walls of the room. She had one group placed in a box in the middle of the room. The box had dirt for the floor with 100 dolls placed standing in the dirt. She titled this one: 100 Dirt Yard Girls. It was fabulous.
"Among humans, much is made of our many apparent differences—masculine and feminine, rich and poor, light and dark skin tone. Yet there is one profound and global constant that should shape our values: those attributes that we value most in ourselves and in others, and that transcend the strictures of religion, parentage, place, and time. In English, we call these desirables "character," but in every language and culture there is wisdom aimed at defining and championing attainment of these kindred and universal beneficent ideals."
Some interesting and expressive outsider art was in the show. There was an exhibit of "memory fabrics" by South Africa women living in apartheid. The instruction was for them to create out of fabric "A Day I Will Never Forget." The fabric pieces, resembling quilt squares, are beautiful and powerful.
This would be a great directive for an art therapy group.
Another exhibit was of small dolls by Linda St. John that filled the walls of the room. She had one group placed in a box in the middle of the room. The box had dirt for the floor with 100 dolls placed standing in the dirt. She titled this one: 100 Dirt Yard Girls. It was fabulous.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Making Masks
Today we had our mask making workshop in tandem with our neighborhood business association's block party. A few people came. It is mostly just us at these things! We are thinking about seeing if we can get the artists co-op going again and share a space with them. It would save on rent and hopefully bring us more business. It would be cool to have a joint space with them, having a gallery up front - a real gallery, not the almost gallery we have now - to complement the focus of art therapy. Even the name "But is it art?" goes with us. So to see if we can get it going in a month, before we have to give notice on our current space. It is so much to run an art therapy business, or any business I'm sure. I wish we could just offer it for free but we can't. The need to make money is a weight for us sometimes. Something to think about when we want to get something, do something, or try to expand. We are going to do it another year and hopefully it takes off some more or grows at least.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Back in Blogsville
I've been silent from the blogging for awhile. I've been busy finishing graduate school, another Masters degree. This one in counseling to fulfill licensure requirements in Virginia. So I'm licensed now too. I've been out of touch with the art therapy world for the most part. Except to keep working on getting the Virginia Art Therapy Association set up. This is done, or rather all applications are in. One to AATA and one to the IRS. Hopefully all accepted and we can be in business.
I'm excited to start reading about art therapy again. I'm starting: Art Therapy with Families in Crisis by Debrah Linesch. I've been getting more and more interested in family therapy. I love the dynamics that go on in a family. I've been continuing to work in my private practice. It's really nice to own your own practice. We've got a neat place with two studios. We're still doing the art walk events but music seems to be less and less a part of it. It's boring to have the usual but I'm out-voted. I was so interested in having experimental music as part of these nights. Perhaps I can start something else and link art therapy and experimental music/noise.
I've started an open art group for women in NA. It started by meeting women when going to my fiance's NA meetings. It's interesting and a different way to offer art therapy. I'm not really their therapist but offering a therapeutic space for their creative explorations. I hope it keeps going.
I'm also getting ready to present at the AATA conference in New Orleans this fall. I'm doing two. It should be a blast.
I'm excited to start reading about art therapy again. I'm starting: Art Therapy with Families in Crisis by Debrah Linesch. I've been getting more and more interested in family therapy. I love the dynamics that go on in a family. I've been continuing to work in my private practice. It's really nice to own your own practice. We've got a neat place with two studios. We're still doing the art walk events but music seems to be less and less a part of it. It's boring to have the usual but I'm out-voted. I was so interested in having experimental music as part of these nights. Perhaps I can start something else and link art therapy and experimental music/noise.
I've started an open art group for women in NA. It started by meeting women when going to my fiance's NA meetings. It's interesting and a different way to offer art therapy. I'm not really their therapist but offering a therapeutic space for their creative explorations. I hope it keeps going.
I'm also getting ready to present at the AATA conference in New Orleans this fall. I'm doing two. It should be a blast.
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