you are here [x]: Scarlet Star Studios > the Scarlet Letters > creata: children's graphic development
<< before
creata: intro to art therapy
after >>
creata: holding memories in clay
March 7, 2006
creata: children's graphic development
by gl. at 9:49 am
this is the second in a series of posts about workshops sponsored by CREATA during Creative Arts Therapy week. session date mar06.
this was a much better presentation -- the woman who presented it really knew & loved her stuff. this is the same woman fror whom i dropped off my flyers for the information table when her dog bit me, and the first thing she wanted to do was check out my hand, which is doing pretty well by this point. the irony here is that by this time i had discovered the flyers weren't on the information table, so it was a good thing i had brought more with me! :D
there was an interesting bit about choosing different types of mediums for different intents, or "prescriptive materials," and it's things like this that are the reason why i attend CAT week. on a continuum of controlled to expressive/fluid, different activities & mediums & colors & positions & tools evoke different emotions for participants and choosing the rights ones is a big part of your job. also, there's a difference between "uncovering" and "building" activities and what sorts of themes they tend to evoke. i knew this intuitively, but it was nice to see it all laid out.
i knew many of the best practices for children could be adopted or adapted for adults, including this excerpt from "conditions for creative growth," which i feel very much guide the ways in which i've tried to use the studio for artist's way:
- appropriate & maintained materials
- appropriate & welcoming space
- predictable times & ritual
- order, consistency & privacy in space & supplies
- physical safety (non-toxic materials & sturdy furniture) & emotional safety
- respect for & interest in each person's individual creative process & art (no "rescuing")
- encouraging expression rather than performance: "convey that you believe pleasure [in art] is possible and powerful."
the experiential part of the program had us approximate the drawing style of a particular age group. this is where pix would come in handy, because some of the stuff i made is awesome, but we didn't have enough time to do all the stages so we just did three. :)
drawing earlier than these stages doesn't mean your child's a genius, and in fact, given too much praise, your child may begin to view art as a performance rather than a source of creative self-expression.
at some point, the presenter was talking about "accessing information available in your non-dominant hand" and then caught my eye and surprised me by saying, "right, gretchin? gretchin teaches an artist's way class and she has some flyers available on the table." *blush*
posted by gl. | March 7, 2006 9:49 AM | comments (2) | categories: artist's way, classes & workshops
Comments
I wish I was able to go to more of the breakout sessions. I scanned the room and wondered about the ratio of art therapists/active artists versus traditional unit-seeking therapist-types. Usually CEU's in our fields are much more expensive, workshops are hundreds of dollars.
The therapist debate is interesting. Most would say that I am not qualified to do art therapy too, although I have a clinical degree and am qualified to do talk therapy. I am not sure how I feel about the delivery of art therapy education as it's presented at Marylhurst, it seems like there are clinical classes and art studio classes. The clinical classes are similar across fields, and I am more interested in process art than "good studio art" from a therapy standpoint. It seems like they place emphasis on "good art" which seems counterintuitive to the therapy process. But this is just from what I know about the degree program superficially.
It was good to see you- your flyers are very nice- love the sparkle paper! :) and nice graphic layout. hope it brings you some good leads.
looking forward to hearing more about the sessions!
:) m.
Posted by: melanie at March 7, 2006 3:01 PM
yeah, the creata workshop prices are incredibly reasonable (which is why i go!), but i still don't understand why professions like therapy make you pay for your own recertification credits -- it's like paying to keep your own job!
i don't get the impression marylhurst is advocating for "good art" as much as they're trying to give therapists exposure to the arts they'll be using, so they can become familiar with materials and techniques they can then use for clients. or at least, this is how it was described to me three years ago; perhaps that has changed since.
if i could afford marylhurst, i'd certainly and happily consider going. but i think even people without specific art therapy degrees can do a lot of therapeutic good with a good base of ethical and philosophical guidelines, and i see people with passion & compassion who CAN help the cause if they're allowed, so can't there be a middle ground? a certificate program or apprenticeship or exam, sort of like an art doula? :)
Posted by: gl. at March 8, 2006 1:24 AM