twentytwelve look back

Past 2012 Events, Happenings & Projects

twentytwelve adventures on the go gluebook

6 Degrees of Creativity 2-  6 Degrees of Creativity 2 is an on-line art offering and community that includes 6 different workshops, offered by a group of 6 inspiring instructors from the art therapy community. From July-December 2012, the workshops explored hands-on art making concepts, techniques, and creative ideas related to transformation, collaboration, and using art for good.  I offered Creative Goodness with Gluebooks as one of the six workshops- introducing simple, yet unique ways that gluebooks can be created with repurposed materials. The workshop also included a gluebook page exchange and paper stash swap. Check out these posts for Gluebook Happenings from the workshop.

October-December | Ohio Department of Mental Health Art Exhibit, Columbus, Ohio- Three month exhibit on display at ODMH showcasing trauma informed and resiliency based art therapy work at the Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center from survivors of domestic violence.

November 29 | Capital University, Columbus, Ohio- Guest lecturing to undergraduate art therapy students enrolled in Art Therapy Techniques & Methods about using art therapy with survivors of domestic violence.

October 23-28 | Florida State University, Tallahassee Florida- In collaboration with FSU’s Art Therapy Program, Veteran Student Organization and Visiting Artist Program, Margaret Mahan, Drew Matott, me, & Nick Collier conducted a three-day Peace Paper, book and printmaking workshop for war veterans, art therapists, fine art students and Tallahassee community members.   Read about Peace Paper’s Fall 2012 Tour Summary in the blog post There and Back Again, A Papermaker’s Tale.

October 11-13 | Kansas Art Therapy Association Conference, Emporia, Kansas-  Margaret Mahan, Drew Matott, and I will conducted a workshop for art therapists, including a lecture highlighting Art as Social Action and Papermaking as Trauma Therapy.  This event will also include an exhibit of Peace Paper artworks.

September 28-29 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois-  On Friday evening I presented a community lecture at SIUE about the benefits and value of social media, networking, and online art collaborations to build community and connection among the art therapy community.  My visit will also included an all day student workshop with SIUE art therapy graduate students presenting art therapy strategies and interventions when working with traumatized youth exposed to domestic violence.

September 6-8 |  Buckeye Art Therapy Association Annual Symposium- Margaret Mahan, Drew Matott, and I taught a full day pre-conference course about how the papermaking process can be beneficial with populations as a form of social action and therapeutic transformation in trauma and loss intervention.  During the BATA Symposium, we presented a keynote presentation on the topic of art as social action, focusing on lecture and visual content related to utilizing papermaking and creative expression as a cathartic process to give meaning, create transformation, and provide empowerment through releasing and reforming fibers into new stories and new beginnings.   A workshop offering the following day entitled, “Expressions for Peace” invited Symposium attendees on the following day to create their own reflections and expression for peace on handmade paper flags created from Peace Paper’s recent travels. Read this Peace Paper blog post about the event here.

August 1 | Picture Me:  Using Art with Traumatized and Grieving Children-  VCE Trauma Learning Series in Southgate, Michigan. The VCE and the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC) have initiated a new partnership to provide quality trainings on trauma and working with children who have experienced trauma.  This training was available through video-conference at five (5) locations.  The training was at the live site: The Guidance Center, Southgate.  The Broadcast Sites: The Children’s Center, Detroit; Community Living Services, Wayne; Lincoln Behavioral Services, Redford and Northeast Guidance Center, Detroit.

July 10 | Finding a Safe Place: Creating Safety for Domestic Violence Survivors through Art at The National Institute for Trauma and Loss Childhood Practitioner’s Assembly: July 10-13 in Clinton Township, Michigan.  This half day afternoon workshop presented important themes and considerations when addressing safety issues through art expression with child and adult survivors of domestic violence.

Spaces and Places: Where We Create- This four month art therapy community photo documentary project invited participants to submit a photo of their creative work space and favorite tools of the trade.  Through social media and digital photo sharing, this collaborative project help to provide education, awareness, inspiration, and understanding about the spaces & places, settings, populations, and materials that art therapists, art therapy students, expressive arts therapists, and art organizations work in and use for their practice.  Visit the project’s page to view photos and learn more information.

May 13 – 18 | Arts, Military + Healing

As part of Arts, Military, + Healing, Drew Matott and I conducted a five-day papermaking workshop at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia focusing on technical training and practical applications of papermaking as trauma therapy.  View a slideshow from the AMH event here and a video/news piece from the workshop here.

April 18 | Art Therapy with Traumatized Children- Lorain County Collaborative on Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention 7th Annual Child Abuse Awareness Conference at Lorain County Community College’s Spitzer Conference Center. My 2 hour presentation highlighted the benefits of using art therapy in trauma intervention with children.  Download conference information here.