Parasite made history during the 2020 Oscars, winning four awards and becoming the first non-English-language film to win best picture, the Academy’s highest honor. This acclaimed playful yet dark satire thriller takes a microscope to two families on opposite ends of the social class spectrum in urban South Korea. Their paths become intertwined when Kim Ki-woo begins tutoring English to the daughter of the wealthy Park family.

In recognition of Black History Month, it’s my pleasure to introduce this blog series building on the topics covered during the “Breaking the Chains of Racial Trauma” plenary panel I moderated at AATA’s 50th conference in Kansas City in November of 2019! If you were in attendance, this is an excellent opportunity to revisit the content, and I’m honored to present it to others for the first time.

If you weren't able to join us for our first Virtual Conference in December, we'd love to have you join us for an encore presentation of the event on Saturday, February 29, 2020! It’s a great opportunity to learn something new, build connections with fellow attendees, and earn continuing education clock hours—all from the comfort of home. Plus, many of our presenters will be joining us again live in the chat room to answer your questions and enrich your learning even more.

My intention for this scholarship is to aid a promising practitioner or student in his/her/their pursuit of expanding the field of Spiritual Art Therapy as it relates to mind/body practices. Spiritual Art Therapy has expanded broadly since my 1994 publication and is now in its 3rd edition. Because my current work now incorporates my training as a certified yoga therapist, applications for this award might incorporate somatics as it relates to therapy and mind/body centering.

Undergraduate students are invited to submit poster proposals to present their scholarly and creative work in their study of art therapy during AATA's 2020 Conference to be held October 29 to November 1, 2020. Click here to download information and guidelines about the new poster sessions. Undergraduate Poster proposals must be submitted electronically via email to conferenceinfo@arttherapy.org, not later than March 20, 2020. 

Working with young people with developmental disabilities outside of the field of art therapy brought my focus back into some of the most fundamental ways the creative process, art making and co-creating can foster communication. This is only magnified as I complete my clinical internships. It is exciting to continue to explore how to learn to develop my allyship with this community, not becoming any one individual's voice but by supporting others to find their own.

AAATA National Office                  

Every year we recognize members who are elevating the field, and we support the next generation of art therapists who will transform the profession. This is your opportunity to honor colleagues and recognize the unsung heroes and visionaries of the field or take the next step in your career by applying for a scholarship.  Read below and find more information on MyAATA for opportunities in the following categories (listed by application deadline):  Scholarships (May 1),  Honors (June 15), Research (June 15) and Governmental Affairs (June 15).  Please reach out to info@arttherapy.org with any questions.

Members of the Iranian community at Concordia University are using art therapy to cope with grief following the tragic plane crash last month. Hanieh Tohidi is a creative art therapy graduate student and created the Persian Art Hive to give her fellow Iranians a space to mourn and a creative outlet. “I felt a lot of sadness and grief coming from Iranian people and felt that I needed to start this event,” she told The Concordian. She received an award provided by the J.A. De Sève Foundation, which helped fund the creation of the Art Hive at Concordia’s downtown campus.

During art therapy sessions at UC Davis Children’s Hospital in Sacramento, Calif., patients create digital artwork, which is displayed in an art gallery located on the pediatric unit, thanks to a partnership with a wall art app called Mixtiles. “With the help of Mixtiles, they are able to display their artwork and personal photos of family and friends, which helps them relate to their peers in the hospital and members of their community at home,” Katie Lorain, an art therapist at the hospital, told KFBK. “When a child is hospitalized, reinforcing connections to family and friends can help children cope with their hospitalization and concentrate on healing.”

Art Fort Lauderdale, an art fair on the water, recently featured the culture of The Bahamas. A luxury home that was part of the art tour was called Bahamas Haus, and 10 percent of the proceeds from it went to The Bahamas’ Grand Bahama Children’s Home, which needs to be rebuilt after Hurricane Dorian. The funds will also support the purchase of educational supplies and resources for art therapy.

After attending a session with non-profit organization Art Therapy Express seven years ago, David Turner found a path to light from darkness. Since then, he’s painted hundreds of pieces, from landscapes to portraits to abstracts, that tell the story of his difficult journey with bipolar disorder.

"We are very happy to be able to showcase and assist the Art Therapy program of Beaumont Children's at our new cafe," Liz Rose, owner of New Order Coffee, told a Patch contributor. "Our involvement is not only exciting for our café staff, but we are all thrilled to support this unique program, which benefits so many kids at the hospital."