British association of Art therapists

The following link  http://www.baat.org/searchpublic/search.php?zoom_query=exhibition will re-direct you to a webpage which will list a series of PDFs and articles relating to the relevance of creating exhibitions from patients work and how this is an essential element for the path of recovery. It also includes the article I posted recently Val Huet's opinion on how relevant and important creating exhibitions from clients work.

Art therapy in Australia

I came across this link, it is part of Australia's response to helping those with mental health issues, using art therapy. One of the key strategies they use is promoting solo and group exhibitions. 

Government of Western Australia, Department of Health 

Art therapy for mental health recovery 

CECAT events and exhibitions

CECAT hosts several annual group and solo art exhibitions through out the year open to the general public:

• Annual Schizophrenia Awareness Week art exhibition in May
• Annual Mental Health Week art exhibition in October
• Annual Sale and art exhibition at the end of the year
• Solo artists and group exhibitions throughout the year

All exhibitions are open to the public for viewing, Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. Many works are for sale at very affordable prices. Call to view or otherwise drop by during these times to view an exhibition. Most exhibitions are open for 2-4 weeks.

Today, CECAT continues to serve both inpatients and community participants, utilising the open studio for arts exploration and self-development, art therapy, consultation to other services and art education classes, all aimed towards the therapeutic recovery and well-being of participating participants.

CECAT continues to support several annual events – Schizophrenia Awareness Week and Mental Health Week with exhibitions on site.  We also host many other exhibitions through out the year, both group and solo ones, showcasing participants art works. 

What Are The Benefits of Art Therapy?

The Scope of Art Therapy

Often art exhibitions showcase works that run quite deep within the psyche of the human creator. Art therapy uses this creative process to help give the individual relief from the emotional stress and conflicts. The influence of art has not been felt only in emotional healing but also in physical healing and fulfillment. Many hospitals have included art therapy as a means of alleviating the physical stress of the harsh symptoms and hastening the healing process.

Though not all are gifted with the skills to be a master painter or sculptor, everyone has the creative ability. This creative process can improve recovery and communication between the patient and therapist. All benefits of art therapy lie in this concept.

Read more at,  'What Are The Benefits of Art Therapy?'

The healing powers of art therapy A new exhibition showcases work created by clients during art therapy sessions.

The Telegraph article can be read from this link, The healing powers of art therapy. What is important to my research is the statement which Val Huct gave. Bellow I have copied the three paragraphs which again underpins the direction in which I am heading in my work.  

"It is accepted that taking part in art therapy is usually beneficial for the client, and showing these works to the public is certainly good for raising awareness and understanding. So perhaps the only remaining question is whether exhibiting these artworks is good for the clients.

All clients must give their consent before their work is shown, but it could be argued that the very knowledge that the work may be exhibited changes the creation of it. If the purpose of art therapy is the process of making, rather than showing the final piece, couldn't it be said that exhibitions like the The Healing Mind distort it?

Val Huet says she understands such concerns, but doesn't feel that exhibiting the work has an adverse affect on the clients, because they were only offered the opportunity to exhibit the work after it had been created. In fact, she says that showing the work is good for the clients: "It gives them a feeling of empowerment as they are being treated as artists doing something, rather than patients having something done to them.It is accepted that taking part in art therapy is usually beneficial for the client, and showing these works to the public is certainly good for raising awareness and understanding. So perhaps the only remaining question is whether exhibiting these artworks is good for the clients.

All clients must give their consent before their work is shown, but it could be argued that the very knowledge that the work may be exhibited changes the creation of it. If the purpose of art therapy is the process of making, rather than showing the final piece, couldn't it be said that exhibitions like the The Healing Mind distort it?

Val Huet says she understands such concerns, but doesn't feel that exhibiting the work has an adverse affect on the clients, because they were only offered the opportunity to exhibit the work after it had been created. In fact, she says that showing the work is good for the clients: "It gives them a feeling of empowerment as they are being treated as artists doing something, rather than patients having something done to them.

Week 11 Semester 2

This video is part of a series that I am posting as a blog about my weekly experience of doing a masters in Interactive Media and Design at the University of Limerick.

CASE STUDY: The role of art therapy as a potential space for the processing of psychological and physical experience following stroke

The Art Therapy (aka Art Psychotherapy) Profession is State Registered by the Health Professions

Council.  

Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which art and image-making play a central role within the

therapeutic relationship. In the three-way process between person, image and therapist the art media

acts as the primary form of communication; the person and the image-making process (rather than the

product) being most important.  ‘The overall aim of art therapy is to enable a client to change and grow

at a personal level through the use of art materials in a safe and facilitating environment’. (British

Association of Art Therapists)

For me, one of the key elements to come from this paper is what I have mentioned above. This idea that art therapy is a three-way  process between person, image and therapist. The art media acts as the primary form of communication; the person and the image-making process (rather than the product) being most important. In many ways this statement underpins my motivation to choose the line of study that I am doing. It has been evident overt the past weeks that in my weekly art meetings that each person communicates in their own way, and they do this through different tools and media, but most important, it's this process to them which is important and not the end result.

To read the full document you can excess the link here at, CASE STUDY:  The role of art therapy as a potential space for the processing of  psychological and physical experience following stroke

ePAD: Engaging Platform for Art Development

This paper discuss the benefits of using touchscreen interfaces to encourage older people in the art therapy process. Although my research is going beyond this, it is still interesting to understand the benefits of using touchscreen and there positive influence on a user. The full paper can be read hear at,  ePAD: Engaging Platform for Art Development

Another publication that I came across Design and Prototype of a Device to Engage Cognitively

Disabled Older Adults in Visual Artwork is also a good paper that explains the benefits of using touchscreen technology.