Art Therapy Processes Through Photography, Papermaking and Water Based Media

"Is a picture made in a single moment? No, it is built up piece-by-piece, just like a house.”

-Paul Klee

What makes it possible for us to engage in creative acts during uncertain times? How do we build and maintain resilience when the path ahead looks seemingly rocky? This program will examine these questions in a dynamic studio and nature-based psychology and art program.

The work of art therapy requires practitioners to develop close relationships with both a diversity of accessible creative mediums and a set of therapeutic tools to explore intra and interpersonal content. Using paper handmade in our dedicated studio, watercolor, and ink, we will experiment with the processes of creating through traditional mediums in new, slow, delicate, and unfamiliar ways. We will incorporate natural objects and cultivate a place-based, plant-based connection to artistic expression.

The photography section of this class will give students who possess a basic understanding of proper exposure, metering, and camera use the ability to level up their camera-based practices. In addition to fine-tuning skills as analog photographers, students will have the opportunity to take their skills to an intermediate level by engaging in the experimental process of making photography paper from start to finish, and using light sensitive dyes to print negative images on fabric in our dedicated studio space. 

Our studies of historical and contemporary symbolism will give students an introduction into foundational tools used in some forms of expressive arts therapy while thematically driving our central projects and assignments.

Communication incubator workshops will deepen our abilities to share and receive ideas in lighthearted and sincere ways, while contributing to our abilities to form a learning community that is thoughtful and responsive to its members.

By thinking of watercolor as a collaboration with time and water, we will create images slowly over the course of the quarter. We will make watercolor paper using leaves, shells, and other natural objects respectfully collected on local field trips, and broaden our knowledge of water-based media by using inks and liquid watercolors in addition to traditional pan based pigments.

Students in this program will spend a considerable amount of time outdoors during campus-based field work. Students who have concerns about walking on uneven terrain, such as in the campus forest and on the beach are encouraged to contact the faculty ( partridp@evergreen.edu )  to discuss supportive alternatives.

Last but not least, students will examine Attention Restoration Theory (ART) to better understand how exposure to natural environments has the potential to restore cognitive resources, especially attention and focus, and complete an experiential journaling reflection project that explores how spending time in nature can reduce mental fatigue, enhance creativity, and improve problem-solving skills.

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:

4 - Intermediate Analog Photography

4 - Introduction to Art Therapy Theory

4 - Introduction to Art Therapy Mediums