Reflections on 5 decades of art therapy experience continuously return to a focus on how art heals. This question is addressed along two lines of thought. The first acknowledges the simultaneous existence of transcultural, shared dimensions of art, together with infinite differences in people, communities, and artistic expressions. The second…

Since the beginning of the field, many art therapists have used artwork as a practice to help them manage and understand their work with clients. In contemporary times, this form of creativity is known as response art. Some of the original writings about response art refer to its use to elucidate countertransference. This article provides an…

This paper seeks to re-evaluate the pedagogical and curricular influence of Fluxus artists who have been under addressed in curriculum studies scholarship. Between the late 1950s and early 1970s this group of avant-garde artist-pedagogues experimented with new ways to think about curriculum and pedagogy in institutes of higher education and in…

Through everyday encounters, art therapists are continuously developing their own professional discourse. This professionally bound talk, forever evolving, both separates and binds art therapists with other mental health professionals. The purpose of this inquiry was to examine through an online survey how art therapists speak about their scope of…

This article addresses the human need to create uniquely beautiful things for social sharing, play and to elevate objects above functionality. For that reason we often see ordinary people "making special" in many types of informal settings. A pervasive notion exists among many in the art world and in the general public that making that…

Community art therapy studios promote individual and communal transformation outside of traditional health settings. In this qualitative study, 3 art therapists observed 6 sessions of a community art therapy studio by making art and writing observations. Synthesis of their findings indicated the importance of tending to healthy relationships.…

The purpose of this study was to explore the anxiety and stress-reducing effects of drawing, using different drawing materials by promoting the development of student confidence. The drawing activities were designed to foster the exploration of identity, emotion, and sense of self, while encouraging the exploration of materials and mark making.…

In this article, the potentially harmful effects of bullying toward LGBTQ students are demonstrated through personal narratives, encouraging tolerance and the freedom to create and express through art. As openly gay and lesbian arts educators, the authors have learned that it is vital for them not only to invite gay and lesbian lives into teaching…

Teaching artists often find themselves working in schools and communities that are new to them, whether these are situations close to home or farther afield. This issue of Four Questions highlights teaching artists who travel extensively as part of their teaching and artistic practices and bring their expertise, energy, and creativity to…

This lesson teaches students that a drawing does not have to be realistic to be a valued piece of art. It's fun to have students look at abstracts and ask them what they think they see. As they excitedly yell out "It's a bird," "It's a flower," "Huh? I don't see that!" they begin to realize the beauty of an abstract. It can be so many things to so…

Targeting students in grades K-8, Art in Action's program consists of 12 age-appropriate lessons per year led by parent and teacher volunteers. The curriculum is based on historically significant artists and their works of art. Through semi-structured discussions, students examine a variety of masterpieces, learning about the artist as well as…

One of the things that many post-secondary graphic-design schools look for in student portfolios is one or two typography projects with hand-rendered type. At Merivale High School, junior graphic-design classes work with traditional media, and every year they receive an assignment that encourages them to play with letter forms. In this article,…

Diana Al-Hadid's sculptures reflect the many locations, cultures, histories, and mythologies that have shaped her as an artist. In large-scale works which have the appearance of architectural ruins, Al-Hadid employs imagery drawn from many diverse interests including science and technology, history, and literature. She also incorporates images and…

James Rosenquist's giant Pop-art panels included realistic renderings of well-known contemporary foods and objects, juxtaposed with famous people in the news--largely from the 1960s, '70s and '80s--and really serve as visual time capsules. In this article, eighth-graders focus on the style of James Rosenquist to create their own Pop-art panel that…

Jim Dine was born in 1935 in Cincinnati. He earned a BFA from Ohio University in 1957 and then moved to New York in 1959, where he fell in with a group of artists that included Claes Oldenburg. Dine is best known as a Pop innovator, whose paintings, sculptures, and prints were layered with everyday objects, including ties, tools, and even a…