Expressive Arts Therapy

A few months ago I was asked to host a panel to discuss the role of art-making in relation to mental health issues for the traveling exhibition, Mindful: Exploring Mental Health Through Art at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA.  I had a great time with Michelle Napoli , from William James University, and Lauren Leone , an adjunct at Lesley University, discussing the role of art and crafts in therapy and in healing. We spoke about the arts as and in therapy and we discussed the power of arts in community.  We then did a wonderful workshop where we invited participants to create containers of self-compassion or compassion for their communities. Today I went back to the Fuller to see their exhibition on quilting in response to Trumps's administration and policies, entitled Threads of Resistance . I absolutely loved the exhibition and the idea of creating works of art through craft that advocate for resistance and change!  Lastly, the museum is hosting an exhibition on the P

This week's post highlights the work of my colleague, dance/movement therapist, Nancy Beardall .  I'm always excited about opportunities to showcase ways our work in the Expressive Therapies division can support acts of social justice. Today as women are marching all over the world in support of the Time's Up campaign against sexual harassment, Nancy's work on break-up violence seems particularly timely! See the recent article about Lesley's day-long training for faculty and staff on addressing sexual violence on a cultural level .  But don't miss out on seeing Nancy's work on the project entitled " Could this be you? " Along with Lesley faculty Cariona Baker , Nancy has been working on a project to raise awareness regarding break-up violence for several years now. I was particularly excited to see the movement choir work showcased on the Could this be you website.  Nancy's "Just Moves" work is inspiring and beautiful! 

So last week I posted my first blog post in a long time!  I'm really hoping to post weekly - and I'm excited to start by sharing the work of my colleagues at Lesley University's Expressive Arts Therapy MA program.  Last week I shared the work of my colleague Mitchell Kossak , and this week I'd like to share with you the work of my colleague Angelica Pinna-Perez . Angelica has been heading up a project called Create on the 8 for several years now. And I'm so excited to share with you her digital arts-based scholarship!   Her project involves a virtual space that is both a "collaborative arts based research initiative" that represents "arts based explorations on anti-oppressive and critical understandings of diverse and inclusive meaning making in the Expressive Arts" and a forum where she shares her own ideas about where the work of Expressive Arts Therapy can go!  This past week on her blog, Angelica posed the question, Can Expressive Art

Hi everyone, One of my resolutions this year is to post a weekly post to this website and renew my commitment to spreading the word about Expressive Arts Therapy at Lesley University.  As a result, I've given the blog a facelift, and am working to see what the new look and the new year will bring. I'll use this first post in the new year to celebrate our faculty member, Mitchell Kossak, who received the Shining Star award from the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association at their annual conference in Winnipeg, Canada this past October. Read about the award and Mitchell at: http://www.lesley.edu/news/mitchell-kossak-receives-shining-star-award I'm looking forward to all the posts we have ahead of us this year!! Karen