Expressive Arts Therapy

During the past few years I have been working on examining the connection between expressive arts therapy and the concepts of decolonialization, critical race theory, engaged pedagogy, and other emerging anti-oppressive practices and theories (such as queer theory, mestiza consciousness, social justice work and feminist theory, to name just a few).  I feel as though I am beginning to curve back around to my research on expressive arts therapy and social action and this has coincided with a movement within the creative arts therapies in examining critical pedagogy.  I was asked to submit a small piece for a new journal (blog) on Critical Pedagogy in the Arts Therapies - and am proud to have resurrected a piece I began on sabbatical a few years ago. Expressive arts therapy and mestiza consciousness: Practicing in a "wild zone" is an adaptation of a larger piece I have been working on that hopes to invite expressive arts therapists to engage in a process of "sel

Last week I was at the ET summit in Los Angeles .  It was great to do a presentation there - my first time presenting at the summit in LA.  My presentation, Postcards from the self: Developing Arts-based experientials for all ages, was fun to do and had a great audience.  One experiential - was to create a torn tissue paper response to fine arts postcards.  Here is my image for Monet's lilies. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/438008 It's the end of the semester here at Lesley and my hopes for being more informative about what I'm doing and what's happening at Lesley have been thwarted but I'll keep trying!!

Last week during the Community of Scholars day at Lesley University we had several presentations by Expressive Therapies Faculty and Students.  I went to several of the presentation and they were awesome!  the art piece I made in response to Watering Black Roots Watering Black Roots (Reconnecting Human+Nature) Stormy Saint-Val, Lesley University Angelica Pinna-Perez, Lesley University Creative Approaches to Enhancing Relationships with People with Dementia Meg Chang, Lesley University Donna Newman-Bluestein, Lesley University On the Path of Social Justice: Advancing self-awareness as social justice competency Deb Spragg, Lesley University Vivian Poey, Lesley University Denise Malis, Lesley University Meenakshi Chhabra, Lesley University Michelle Napoli, William James University Lesley University and UNITWIN: International Network on Life Design and Decent Work Donna M. San Antonio, Lesley University Meenaks

Greetings from South India!   In the late spring of 2014, I was approached by Magdalene Jeyarathnam about teaching expressive arts therapy and music therapy in Chennai, India.  JennieKristel, an alumnus of our Expressive Therapy program, had been teaching visual art, playback theater and expressive arts therapy and recommended the possibility of a collaboration with Lesley University. The following spring during my sabbatical year, I came to Chennai to teach and I also participated in a two-day workshop in Bangalore (giving me a chance to meet my lovely friends whom I met during a joint adventure in Ghana.  Belinda Rego andChandlini Hartlalka were gracious hosts in Bangalore and made my first trip to India a pleasure!   This project began as an invitation to develop a possible collaboration between Lesley University’s Expressive Arts Therapy specialization and a post-graduate certificate offered through the Women’sChristian College (WCC) of Chennai and E

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