We are so thrilled to share that the Connecticut art therapy licensure bill passed the Senate on June 4, 2019 – the night before the legislature adjourned – included as part of a broad state budget bill (HB 7424)! The legislation had passed the House 138 to 1 last week and now awaits Governor Ned Lamont’s signature, which would make the license effective October 1, 2019. Connecticut will soon join the growing number of states across the country with art therapy licensure. Congratulations to the Connecticut Art Therapy Association (CATA) and all the art therapy advocates in the state who made this happen! What a way to start the summer!

It’s Time to Get Focused and Register for the American Art Therapy Association’s 50th Annual Conference to be held October 30 to November 3, 2019 in Kansas City, MO. You could pay more for your conference registration but why?  Register now for the lowest rates, and best selection of the very popular experiential learning sessions (workshops and advanced practice courses). Some of these sessions are already full and others are filling up quickly! Register online or call the National Office at (888) 290-0878 or (703) 548-5860.

AATA National Office

With only one week remaining of New York’s 2019 legislative session, we are calling on our members in the state to support legislation — one for Medicaid and one for private insurance — that would expand access for New Yorkers to vital services of Licensed Mental Health Practitioners, including Licensed Creative Arts Therapists (LCATs)! Art therapists in New York State are licensed as LCATs, so this not only affects our profession but also the many diverse clients we serve. If you reside or work in New York State, please urge your lawmakers to support these important bills expanding access to creative arts therapies. Our New York chapters, the New York Art Therapy Association (NYATA) and the Western New York Art Therapy Association have been rallying support in the state throughout the legislative session, but time is running out!

This year is the American Art Therapy Association’s 50th anniversary, and June marks the organization’s official anniversary month. Our thanks to everyone who sent us special anniversary wishes – we look forward to many more years in the service of advancing the art therapy profession.

AATA National Office

The June 17 deadline is fast-approaching for applications and nominations for Honors, Research, and Government Affairs awards. Finish your applications this weekend and get them in by Monday at 5 pm Eastern Time.  Read below and find more information on MyAATA for opportunities in each category.

I currently work as the program and outreach coordinator at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Juneau, Alaska. I also serve on the Public Awareness and Training committee with the Juneau Suicide Prevention Coalition. I am passionate about connecting those in my community to mental health resources and supporting them on their journey to mental wellness. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in art and behavioral science in 2018, from Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. I am approaching my second year in the online Master of Arts in Art Therapy program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, based out of Terre Haute, Indiana.

There's more to art therapy than simply using a coloring book. Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cherokee Nation’s Indian Child Welfare department will expand its art therapy program for foster children over the next year. The Nation is one of just four Oklahama organizations to receive this funding in 2019. It will be used for weekly art classes and one-on-one art therapy sessions.

Pursuing creativity is good for all aspects of your health, whether you're an experienced artist or trying art for the first time. For older adults, taking on creative activities improves both physical and mental health. One art therapist working at a Tucson retirement community says, “I believe each individual has creative potential, but may not be in touch with that part of themselves.”

Jose Luis Cabrera, winner of the Social Innovation Award, talks about what inspired this winning thesis project: "'Sons of Violence' uses fashion design to engage critical issues of domestic violence against children in the Dominican Republic through a sustainable, circular fashion system. My garments deconstruct mythologies of masculinity and violence and reimagine gender and social justice through innovative design and intentional materiality. I use materials like sugar from my home country to construct hats and accessories. As part of my project, I also founded a non-profit organization in the Dominican Republic that uses art therapy and fashion design to support children and families both socially and economically."

Until the end of June, visitors can see and interact with the "In My Truth, In My Power" exhibition at the MPS Art Therapy gallery space. The works were created by young students supported by art therapists in New York City through Counseling in Schools, an organization placing mental-health professionals, social workers and art, drama, dance and music therapists in schools across the city.

Arts Action Fund 

The Arts Action Fund is launching the new podcast series “ArtsVote 2020 with BenFolds” in order
to generate a national discussion with 2020 presidential candidates about the arts, arts education,
and tax policies to advance non-profit charities in America. The Arts Action Fund is formally inviting
every presidential candidate to have a one-on-one, 30-minute conversation with Ben Folds about
their personal background in the arts and arts education, their observations and previous policy
efforts to transform through the arts the communities and states that they have represented, and
their vision for advancing support for the arts and the charitable sector in the future.

The Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Ketchum, Idaho has announced a new museum-based art therapy program for adults living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The program is free and runs for six weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays between July 23 and August 29.