art & therapy collage
A personal journal during the last year of my art therapy master's program.
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Saturday, April 20, 2002
So maybe you want an update:
Three more weeks left of school and internship. I graduate May 18.
I have several art projects, three papers left to write (including my big practicum paper), two presentations, and a partridge in a pear tree. I have to terminate with my kids at my internship site (say goodbye and help them say goodbye) and I am now physically sick! I can't afford to be sick- after graduation is when I can be sick.
Well, if you don't see the next update til after May 18, you know why!
My friend Katherine just sent me a link to a beautiful web site called the World Trade Center Children's Mural Project. Over 3000 children around the world participated in the project by sending thier portraits. The exhibition announcement invites people to "be inspired by their strength and visions of peace."
Sunday, April 07, 2002
It's about time again to write a monthly entry. I've been thinking about adding more to my synopsis of the AATA conference in NM. On Feb. 8, I described my experiences on Thursday of the convention. I forgot to mention that after lunch, I attended a focus group/open forum with Donna Betts and Barbara Robertson on Working with Adoption. It was my only real networking opportunity and I learned about a program in Colorado called Colorado Heritage Camps that work with international adoptees and parents. Donna and Barbara passed out a list of resources and we each discussed our interests in working with adoptees. A woman named Melanie described her work at the heritage camps and gave us samples of art projects for each age-group relating to the adoptive experiences of the children. Barbara spoke about the distinction between moms and parents allowing the children to understand that they can have two moms but only one parent or set of parents (the biological moms and dads). Thus, children are allowed to feel connection to both the biological parents and the adopted moms and dads. Donna and Barbara also discussed altering drawings of the family tree to a family "orchard" so that it can include extended family such as foster families, divorced/separated families, and step- and half- siblings.
In addition I wanted to mention some quotes that stuck in my mind from Bruce Moon's performance...
- "I am in Control of #2 lead pencils- I am in control!"
- "I will just put the pieces back where they belong"
- "You are welcome; your tears are welcome; your pieces are welcome."
- "I never said I couldn't- I said I didn't!"
- "Wherever I go will be called 'here'- wherever we go will be called 'home'"
On Friday November 9, I attended the morning session, "Quality and Inner Satisfaction: Revisiting the Importance of Quality in Art and Art Therapy." It was presented by Susan Ainlay Anand and Lani A. Gerity. Edith Kramer was also supposed to present but she was absent due to an injury. Anand and Gerity presented her part about kitsch and art and folk art. They spoke about how some art therapists do not care about the quality of the art. They argued its importance in the field. They presented with a slide show on two large screens and gave us stories behind various artists' works. It really reached into the depth of the power of art in everyday people's lives.
After the opening session I went with Lauren and Diana, who were sharing a hotel room with me, to take advantage of the open art studio- a small room at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Hotel (which hosted our conference). It was stocked with paper, oil pastels, chalk pastels, scissors, paint, etc. We created art until lunch time and then I bought several books and got them autographed by people such as the new AATA President Shaun McNiff, the author of the first art therapy book I ever owned, Cathy Malchiodi, and Bruce Moon. Here's a picture I created in oil pastels inspired by the landscape in New Mexico (excuse the quality -- it's a scan from a slide):
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