EXHIBITION STATEMENT

Concept: Upon my graduation from the University of Maryland in May, I will be moving to Boston to pursue my degree in occupational therapy. Occupational therapy is a form of rehabilitation that, through the therapeutic use of daily activities, enables individuals to achieve their goals. The use of art as a therapeutic intervention is not foreign to the occupational therapy field, so this workshop focuses on art as a therapeutic practice to relieve stress and express emotions, especially given the stressful circumstances of the past year.

History & Distinction

According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapy is “an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship” ("About Art Therapy," 2017). This term, however, only applies to therapy facilitated by a professional art therapist. This workshop, instead, focused on using art as a therapeutic intervention as a means to express emotions and relieve stress.

Approach

Through a variety of art activities pertaining to the themes of expressing emotion and relieving stress, students were given the opportunity to engage with course content in an active manner. Activities often centered around relaxation which is often cited as an effective way to manage and prevent stress ("Stress," 2021). Various learning methods including lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities were integrated into the weekly workshop to make the content engaging and accessible to all students.

Audience & Impact

When creating this workshop, the intended audience was college students who were facing the stresses of the past year’s events along with the normal stresses of being a student. Throughout this semester, this course has had an impact on students as many have reported the workshop gives them the opportunity to take a break and focus on themselves each week. Given the rigor of being a college student, it can sometimes be difficult to take time to participate in your favorite activities, and this workshop gave students an outlet to do so. Not only this, but this workshop has impacted me in many ways by allowing me to continue pursuing my interests in art, despite having graduated from the program.

References

About Art Therapy. (2017). Retrieved April 8, 2021, from https://arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/ 

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Stress. (2021) Retrieved April 8, 2021 from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Harold, Heather, and Gabi for allowing me to continue my participation in Arts Scholars and for reaching out to me to take on this project. I would also like to thank my teaching assistant, Kate Deblasis, for being a great friend and helping me with anything I needed. It is important to me to also thank all of my students who came to workshop each week, ready to learn and try something new. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents and friends who have supported me throughout my entire journey in Scholars and at UMD.