EXHIBITION STATEMENT
Christine Cho
Introduction
Many people tend to hold a common misconception about art. When someone hears the word art, they tend to think first of an art museum or a piece of drawing that is colorful and decorative. Art is mainly perceived as something that is decorative, fun, and entertaining. It is only after some thought that people realize that art is actually all around us in all different subjects; it is used to design everyday objects, technology, and furniture, used in advertisements to promote a cause or a belief, and even used to help heal people’s minds. This workshop was aimed at spreading awareness of how art can be used to heal one’s mind and help an individual get to know more about themselves. I also hoped to help college students destress through the workshop while learning about the benefits of art in mental health.
History
Art therapy was introduced as a method of using art for therapeutic purposes in the 1940s. Adrian Hill was the first individual to view art as a medium for therapy, and fellow artist, Edward Adamson, helped create an environment for the mentally ill to give them a space of nonjudgment to create the artwork they desired. Throughout this project, Adamson collected a myriad of paintings and other artwork done by patients in order to share it with the public and show the creative capabilities of the mentally ill and prove the public wrong about individuals with mental disorders. Now, the purpose of art therapy has been modified to help all people with concerns or frustrations connect with their inner worlds or emotions and thoughts. Creative art therapy or drawing, painting, and crafting to therapeutic purposes have been shown to be effective in decreasing mental health issues including anxiety which could be effective to use as a basis for my workshop.
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Workshop Layout
Throughout the 12 weeks of instruction, students were exposed to various materials and activities involved in casual art therapy settings. After briefings about activities and background information through short presentations, students did art therapy and stress relieving activities such as drawing, coloring, aromatherapy, and exercising.
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Audience
My target audience was college students as my workshop focused on relieving stress, which many students receive. This workshop did not exclude any students, as art therapy can be for everyone. As mentioned previously, I wanted to create this workshop for my college peers who stress due to classes or other events because, being a college student as well, I tend to feel stressed during midterm or final seasons and during weeks where there is a lot of homework. This workshop used and combined various stress-relieving activities for each session so that my peers not only had time to relax but also learned about different options of relieving stress. This workshop experience helped me realize the amount of work required to teach others about something and lead a group of people.
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References Used for Workshop
Malchiodi, C. (2012). Handbook of Art Therapy. New York: Guilford Press.
Huss, E. & Hafford-Letchfield, T. (2018). Using art to illuminate social workers’ stress. Journal of Social Work, 19(6), 751-768.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the Arts Scholars faculty, Harold and Heather, for providing necessary resources and helpful advice to run my workshop and giving support throughout my journey as an Arts Scholar. I would also like to thank my teaching assistant, Haley Zawitoski, for her constant support as not only a teaching assistant, but as a peer mentor, a colleague, and a friend. Finally, I would like to thank all my students who participated in my workshop and helped bring the workshop to life.