Art Therapy Alliance's posterous

Embracing social media and connection on-line to promote art therapy, the work of art therapists, and build community

Final Month! Deadline for Spaces & Places: Where We Create: May 31

Since February, Spaces and Places: Where We Create has been inviting art therapists, art therapy students, and art organizations to participate in this photo documentary project featuring creative work spaces and tools of the trade:

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The project has received photos and video from all over (US, Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, Italy, Singapore) via e-mail and through Instagram , showcasing the spaces art therapists work in with clients, where art therapy students intern, personal space for art-making, and commonly used or favorite materials, media, and techniques:

 

Spaces and Places: Where We Create is now in its final month– Submissions are due May 31, 2012 if you are interested in contributing!  Check out the project’s guidelines and learn more information on how to submit here.  You can also view and join the dialogue of comments about the project and photos on Facebook.

6 Degrees of Creativity 2 Now on Sale until June 30!

"Creativity is contagious.... Pass it on"   ~Albert Einstein

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The online art offering 6 Degrees of Creativity 2 goes on sale today until June 30, 2012!  6 Degrees of Creativity begins this summer on July 1 and runs until December 31, 2012. 

6 Degrees of Creativity embraces the power of social networking, the arts, and interactive creativity to make a difference through art-making, creative goodness, and community. The offering includes a series of 6 different workshops, offered by a group of 6 inspiring instructors from the art therapy community to explore hands-on concepts, techniques, and ideas related to themes about transformation, art-making, collaboration, and using art for good.

Because 6 Degrees of Creativity is offered in a virtual space, its workshops are self-guided and can be work on at your own pace. You can participate from anywhere in the world, anytime, and on your schedule, whether it is on your laptop, tablet, desktop, or even on the go via your mobile device!

Workshop content will include PDFs, video tutorials, written instruction, photos, art sharing, and on-line chats that will all be available within the 6 Degrees of Creativity community. 6  Degrees of Creativity’s social networking component will further enhance the sharing of creative goodness among participants, offering opportunities for discussion & idea exchanging, as well as deepen connection. 

Learn more about the workshop line up, instructors, and general 6 Degrees of Creativity information here: www.6degreesofcreativity.wordpress.com.  

All 6 workshops are only $49.00!   To register, visit this page.   For questions or inquiries, please e-mail 6 Degrees of Creativity Communty Organizer Gretchen Miller at 6degreesofcreativity@arttherapyalliance.org.

Art Therapy Alliance Favicard On the Go in Okotoks Alberta, Canada

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My name is Nicole Levesque and I am an Art Therapist in Okotoks Alberta, Canada. 

I remember vividly the moment I decided I wanted to pursue Art Therapy as a career.  I had always been interested in art since early childhood.  I studied art throughout school and then at college and university.  While I was taking an early art education course I had to do an assignment with a girl who was 5 years old.  The assignment was for her to draw a picture for me, spontaneously, while I watched, and then determine if her drawing fit her developmental level for art making.  I was immediately captivated by how much detail she had in her image.  She spoke to me the entire time she drew...telling me what each part was.  There was one area of her image that she created much differently and she didn't tell me about it while she drew.  I gently asked her about it and she told me it was a dog but that she didn't want to talk about it.  I accepted that and thanked her for doing her drawing for me.  Her mother asked to see the image after we were done and I explained to her what her child had told me while creating it.  I told her about the "dog" image and that her daughter had created it so much differently that then rest of her image and that I thought that was interesting.  Her mother then informed me that her daughter had been cornered by a dog a few days earlier and had been very frightened by the event.  I remember the feeling of being so amazed at how much the girl had communicated in her drawing without having to say a word.  That evening I researched my options for studying Art Therapy and once I received my BFA from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, I continued my education at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.

I have since worked with children, at risk youth, adults and seniors in such settings as schools, hospitals, homes and resource centers.  Collage is the medium I have seen the most interesting works created by my clients and I use it often myself in my own creations for self-reflection.  I have recently started a blog: innerexpressionsarttherapy.blogspot.com where I share some of my art and thoughts. 

It was when I started my blog that I came across the Art Therapy Alliance.  I was immediately excited at how much was being shared by other Art Therapists over the internet.  I felt an amazing sense of being connected.  I also follow the Alliance on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and I often share information with my audience in hopes of educating others about my profession as well as encouraging others to live their lives creatively.  I believe that the images we make, when explored, offer a wealth of insight about ourselves and it is my hope to continue to encourage others to trust this process and see what they find.

Thanks Nicole for participating in the Art Therapy Alliance's Favicard On the Go project!   Learn how to participate here.

6 Degrees of Creativity 2 Workshop Reveal!

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Woo hoo!  Get ready for another round of 6 Degrees of Creativity!

6 Degrees of Creativity is inspired by the “Six Degrees of Separation”concept that each of us, no matter where we live in the world are only about six relationships away from one another, as well as embraces the power of social networking, the arts, and interactive creativity to make a difference through art-making, creative goodness, and community.  6 Degrees of Creativity is an on-line art offering and community that includes 6 different workshops, offered by a group of 6 inspiring instructors from the art therapy community to explore hands-on art making concepts, techniques, and creative ideas related to transformation, collaboration, and using art for good.

It's exciting to announce the workshop reveal for 6 Degrees of Creativity 2 with these group of awesome instructors ready to share lots of creative goodness this summer:

Stitch Therapy – Fiber Art Painting: This workshop explores using fiber art as a method for personal awareness and healing. Let me show you my process and techniques for creating a fiber art painting using new and recycled materials to create order from chaos and put together scraps and bits of everyday life. This workshop will explore themes of repairing & layering – slowing down, enjoying to relax and engaging in a meditative process to feel the materials and hear them as you pierce the fabric with a needle and pull thread through. Through this process you will be invited to take time, listen, and feel.

Instructor: Kelly Darke attended Parsons School of Design after high school where she completed the first year core classes before deciding to move back to Michigan and attend Wayne State University where she graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts with concentrations in painting and metals. Kelly later returned to Wayne State University to complete a masters degree in Art Education for Art Therapy as well receiving a K-12 art education certificate. Kelly now works as an art therapist in Westland, Michigan as well as a professional artist, combining her passion for fine art and art therapy into her current work. Kelly also works in collaboration with her brother / artist Colin Darke on group projects that have most recently been shown at LaFontsee Gallery during Art Prize 2010, as well as regularly showing her work in galleries. For more about Kelly’s work, please visit her website and blog.

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The Altered Image: Hands-On Photo Manipulation: This fun and inspiring workshop will show you how to change the surface of a photo by hand, rather than with technology.  Steal yourself away from your computer and come home to your art table! Through a guided process you will learn how to use simple art materials to alter a photo by changing the content of the image. This technique has lots of potential and can be applied to photos that are used within paintings, drawings and visual journals. It’s a great process for personal reflection, as well as for use in therapeutic settings.

Instructor: Fiona Fitzgerald has worked as a registered Art Psychotherapist for the past 12 years in Sydney, Australia. She is passionate about the power of art therapy to help people explore and work through issues of concern.  Her particular interest is in working with cancer patients and their families.  Alongside her clinical work, Fiona also teaches popular one day courses in both Art Therapy and Visual Journaling through Sydney University.  She has used image making and writing within a journal format for many years.   Fiona is really looking forward to bringing a sense of fun, encouragement and possibility to the 6 Degrees of Creativity community.

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Still Point in a Changing World: Creating a Mindful Studio Practice: Many of us long for regular studio time…but find our lives too frantic to create it. Words like compassion, kindness, gratitude and awe can sound theoretical at best. This workshop will focus on creating a daily art-making practice:

• Connect and commit to your true artist self
• Identify your personal strengths and strategies
• Create a flexible working plan

Through a combination of themes and prompts, we’ll embark on a 21-day commitment, cultivate a feeling of positive and playful engagement and create an art-making practice within the safe community of 6 Degrees of Creativity.

Instructor: Hannah Klaus Hunter, art therapist for the UC Davis Children’s Hospital, holds a B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Iowa, an M.F.A. from California College of the Arts and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Art Therapy from UC Berkeley. She specializes in children and young adults impacted by chronic illness, grief and loss, drawing inspiration and regeneration from her studio practice in watercolor, quilting and collage. Hannah shares her reflections on art making in and out of the studio on her blog here.

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Journey Shoes: We have walked in many shoes, witnessed others on many paths, and have wished for paths to form for ourselves, loved ones, and social and global issues.  This project encourages exploration of a journey or two of choice, either imagined or experienced. Through altering one’s own shoes, or used shoes from a Salvation Army-type store, participants will weave, cut, paint, plaster, and glue symbols and expressions of these journeys onto and with these shoes.

Instructor: Magdalena Karlick graduated from New York University with a BA in Community Learning and Development and received her Masters in Art Therapy at Southwestern College. Magdalena is an Art Therapist in Santa Fe, New Mexico working with families, children, and teens, many of whom are court ordered. At Southwestern College Magdalena has multiple roles; she is the assistant to Southwestern’s Art Therapy Director, an adjunct faculty member teaching Current Trends in Art Therapy, and created and moderates SWC’s online Art Gallery blog.  Magdalena is also co-creator of Spaces & Places: Where We Create, an art therapy community photo documentary project.  An active and dynamic visual artist as well, Magdalena creates works ranging from deeply layered multi-media paintings, jewelry, to sand tray figurines. She really enjoys black ink pen the best though, using an unconscious journey with her hand, pen and paper, always leading to interesting messages shown through animals and imaginal landscapes.

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Creative Goodness with Gluebooks: This workshop invites participants to learn about the creative goodness of gluebooks! Gluebooks combine art journaling and collage: all you need is a book/journal, some glue, and stuff to glue. Participants will be introduced to simple, yet unique ways that gluebooks can be created with repurposed materials. This workshop also includes an exchange organized by Gretchen of gluebook pages created by participants of the 6 Degrees of Creativity community, a paper stash swap, collage sheets to download/print for gluing inspiration, and fun ways to develop, collect, and use your paper stash!

Instructor: Gretchen Miller is a Registered Board Certified Art Therapist and who practices in Cleveland, Ohio specializing in youth, women, and families impacted by trauma, domestic violence, and grief & loss. Gretchen is a community organizer forThe Art Therapy Alliance and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Art Therapy Without Borders. In her own art and creative process, Gretchen enjoys finding inspiration, creating energy, and discovering transformation through working with mixed media, painting, collage, altered art, creating handmade books, organizing art exchanges, and collaborations. Her blog Creativity in Motion frequently highlights her art, interests, and creative activity.

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Feeling Your Art: Exploring Texture and Process: When was the last time you gave yourself complete permission to simply play with art materials and get lost in the exploration process? Textural art naturally entices viewers and artists alike and invites interaction and spontaneity. In this workshop you will be introduced to a variety of techniques for creating texture in your art using acrylic mediums, modeling pastes, gels, and palette knives. You will create textural ‘playgrounds’ for your paint to travel through with the layering of textures, colors, found objects, and any other materials that inspire you. The experimentation process with texture will be framed by suggested ideas and directives that are designed to delight and inspire the eternal child within you. In this workshop, the process and play drive the work of art.

Instructor: Sara Roizen is an artist and art therapist living and working in New York City. She holds a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Masters in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute. Most recently, Sara has focused her art therapy work with adults living with HIV/AIDS, substance use, and mental health issues. Sara’s personal artwork draws inspiration from the natural world and the organic process of art-making. Her current mediums of choice are acrylics, watercolor, ink, modeling pastes, and found objects. Sara shares her insights on art therapy, personal art making, mental health, mindfulness, and spirituality on her blog www.ArtTherapySpot.com and some of her current art work can be seen at www.sararoizen.com.

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Workshop content will include PDFs, video tutorials, written instruction, photos, art sharing, and on-line chats that will be available within the 6 Degrees of Creativity community. 6  Degrees of Creativity’s social networking component will further enhance the sharing of creative goodness among participants, offering opportunities for discussion & idea exchanging, as well as deepen connection.

The next round of 6 Degrees of Creativity will start July 1, 2012 until December 31, 2012. 6 Degrees of Creativity 2 goes on sale April 1 until June 30, 2012 at the low price of $49.00 USD.

Lookback: Connection & Community Celebrated at 6 Degrees of Creativity

I can't believe it, but this week marks the ending of the first round of 6 Degrees of Creativity! This on-line community sponsored by The Art Therapy Alliance launched in October 2011 featured 6 different workshops by a group of 6 inspiring instructors from the art therapy community to explore hands-on concepts, techniques, and ideas related to themes about transformation, collaboration, and using art for good.

This adventure was a fun to organize and host: The offering brought together art therapists, art therapy students, and artists from all over the world for an inspiring and supportive space with lots of creative happenings and activity.  Check out the wordle below that includes feedback received from 6 Degrees of Creativity members about their experience: 

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In line with the The Art Therapy Alliance's purpose, connection and community were important experiences that I hoped this offering would continue to create, as well as an opportunity to inspire art-making, cultivate creating, and to nurture participant's creative practice. I sincerely thank the instructors who were a core foundation to everyone's 6 Degrees of Creativity experience and helping make this experience happen: Kristina Bell DiTullo, Lani Gerity, Cathy Malchiodi, Jen Navarro, and Katarina Thorsen. 

Here's a video lookback at some of the creative goodness that has been created from over 400+ photos and art shared since October:

This experience reinforced the importance and benefits of connecting, creating, and inspiring that can grow when we share and foster our creativity alongside others. Lots of creative goodness was sparked the last few months, not only among and shared with those participating in 6 Degrees of Creativity, but spread to others in our daily lives, work, and relationships...Very cool!

Look for more news coming in the very near future about another round of 6 Degrees of Creativity for this summer!

Art Therapy Alliance Joins Pinterest

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This past week, the Art Therapy Alliance joined the digital pinboard site Pinterest! If you're not familiar with this popular social media site, Pinterest "lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web" (About Pinterest).  Pinterest also lets you check out, follow, and share finds and collections pinned by others, which is a wonderful and creative way to visually connect to others who share your interests.

Check out these posts that give quick overviews and descriptions about the benefits of Pinterest:

Also take a peek at these organizations using Pinterest:

And these inspiring boards too...

The Art Therapy Alliance's boards are focused on connections, images, how tos, videos, materials, and inspirations that may be of interest to the art therapy community, as well as promote art therapy and the work of art therapists to the Pinterest community. Check out and follow the Art Therapy Alliance's boards at www.pinterest.com/arttxalliance.

If you want to get started on Pinterest and need an invite, just let me know via info@arttherapyalliance.org and I can send you one (much quicker than waiting for the Pinterest site)!  Looking forward to more connecting, pinning, and sharing!

Spaces & Places: Where We Create: Now Accepting Submissions

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Spaces and Places: Where We Create is now accepting submissions from art therapists, art therapy students, expressive art therapists, and art organizations for this photo documentary project that aims to provide education, awareness, inspiration, and understanding about the spaces & places, settings, populations, and materials that the art therapy community works in and uses within their practice. 

Developed by Magdalena Karlick, ATR, LPAT, LPCC (Southwestern College) and Gretchen Miller, MA, ATR-BC (Art Therapy Alliance) this collaborative event using social media and digital photo sharing via Facebook, Flickr, and Instagram invites participants to submit a photo or photos of their creative work space and favorite tools of the trade.  The project will be accepting submissions until May 31, 2012.

Learn more via the Art Therapy Alliance website for more information and details about how to participate.

Dreaming Zebra Foundation Connects with The Maslow Project through Facebook to Help Art Therapy Program

It is great to be able to write this post!   It captures one of the reasons why The Art Therapy Alliance exists: to use social media as a way to promote art therapy, the work of art therapists and build community.  Back in November 2011, our friends The Dreaming Zebra Foundation (DZF) and The Maslow Project connected through The Art Therapy Alliance's Facebook Page after this Mail Tribune news article was posted on our wall.

In April 2010, The Art Therapy Alliance and International Art Therapy Organization partnered with DZF, a 501c 3 organization founded in Portland, Oregon with the interest of promoting greater access to the arts for children and young adults through charitable donations of art and music supplies to support individuals, schools, and other nonprofit organizations serving youth and the arts. With the help of volunteers, donors, and sponsors, DZF provides new and gently recycled art supplies, musical instruments, and other creative resources to those in need, while raising community awareness and support for arts education.

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Dawne Camera of DZF read the news article, which included a request for art supplies to help The Maslow Project's new art therapy program under the coordination of Art Therapist Lacey Renae. The Maslow Project serves at risk homeless youth in Oregon through providing resources for basic needs, removing barriers to education, employment, and fostering self-sufficiency in a collaborative and empowering environment. 

DZF expressed an interest in helping The Maslow Project on the Art Therapy Alliance's FB wall. From there, I made contact with the Maslow Project through their website with DZF's information, interest and how to make a donation request through their website.  The Maslow Project followed up with this connection and from there DZF hit the ground running to help provide needed materials, which also included securing a $250 donation from Blick Art Materials for their Art Room Aid List so the program could obtain acrylic paints. Wow!

Below is a picture of Lacey from The Maslow Project's FB Page with an arrival of some art materials beginning to come in from DZF. Lacey shares that The Maslow Project would not be in the position to start drop-in art studio hours (beginning in February) without the generous help of DZF. DZF has also commited to be an ongoing supporter of The Maslow Project!  You can read more about DZF's success stories to other programs in need of supplies here.

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Kudos to The Dreaming Zebra Foundation for reaching out through social media to help The Maslow Project and their commitment to help a developing art therapy program for at-risk youth get started!  Best wishes to Lacey as her program gets up and running!  This all makes me smile! 

Meet Our Supporters: Spaces & Places: #wherewecreate [SLIDESHOW]

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In about 2 weeks, Spaces and Places: Where We Create officially opens to the art therapy community and begins to accept photo submissions of the creative spaces and favorite tools of the trade used by art therapists, art therapy students, expressive arts therapists, and arts organizations.

This project is proud to have a core group of supporters that have been helping promote the concept over the last month, as well as submit preview photos to share their work related to the types of photos we are seeking:

We are very grateful to the following organizations, programs, and blogs who have already submitted photos and/or spread the word as endorsers of this project:

Stay connected to the Art Therapy Alliance's Facebook page to follow the project, as well as on the project's official page at http://www.arttherapyalliance.org/wherewecreate.html for more information. Details on photo submission guidelines, e-mail submit information, and more to be announced on February 13!

Art Therapy Alliance Favicard On the Go with Jocelyn Thoemke in Minnesota

Check out this Art Therapy Alliance Favicard On the Go photo submission from art therapy student Jocelyn Thoemke from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in Minnesota:

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Jocelyn included this note with her Favicard photo:

"I am currently studying marriage and family therapy and art therapy. I am planning on graduating in the fall of this year.   I’ve been lucky enough to have art therapy internship experiences working with students in public schools, adults with various types of disabilities, medically ill children, and residents of a long-term care facility.
Right now I am in two internships.  The first I just started, and it is working with 2-5 year olds on the autism spectrum.  I’ll eventually also be working with the children’s families.   The second is working with a therapist in private practice and the hope is to put together
an art therapy group for adults who identify as having a disability. My image is in honor of the children I have started working with.  We use PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) quite a bit, and I found this wonderful collection of art related PECS. I am so grateful for the Art Therapy Alliance Network, it’s important that art therapists have communities where we can share ideas and support each other."

Thank you Jocelyn!   You can also check out previous Art Therapy Alliance Favicard photos and stories here.