After three long years, we were thrilled to host our first IN-PERSON conference in Minneapolis this month! More than 600 people attended the three-day conference, packed with sessions, from early morning coffee with the Board to an evening visit to the Highpoint Center for Printmaking. 

AATA’s 2022 Virtual Conference will include content from the in-person conference, recorded specifically for our dynamic, new virtual platform. The conference will also include brand new presentations, interactive roundtable sessions for Shared Interest Groups and networking opportunities, and live Q&A with presenters and a chat function for attendees. Conference content, as well as additional presentations not available on Dec. 17-18, will be available on the platform for 3 months.

We are so proud to present the 2022 Member Art Exhibition with the theme of Resilience, Inclusivity, and Growth. The exhibition was displayed throughout the in-person conference and prior to plenary sessions. Thank you to the AATA members who shared their talent and creativity with us. Please take a look and share the Exhibition!

Art interventions have been used with service members and veterans since World War I. Here are 7 facts about veterans and art therapy to help raise awareness about mental health and the work art therapists do to support our active duty and returning military service members. We hope you'll share this beyond Veterans Day. 

Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association congratulates Sojung Park, Hyunjung Lee, Seungeun Kim, and Yuri Kim authors of this year's Best Paper Award: Traditional Korean Art Materials as Therapeutic Media: Multicultural Expansion Through Materials in Art Therapy (Volume 38, 2021, Issue 2) 

Abstract:
The globalization of art therapy requires a high level of multicultural competence among art therapists for ethical practice, which includes understanding the traditional materials of the client’s culture. However, the common materials used in art therapy remain mostly Western, which neglects the therapeutic value of art materials from outside the Eurocentric world. This article explores the relations between culture and art materials, using the traditional Eastern materials from the Korean cultural context called Jipilmuk — Ji (paper) pil (brush) muk (Meok [inkstick]). A focus on the philosophical esthetics of East Asia reveals the close connection between materials and culture as well as their therapeutic implications.

AATA Members can log into MyAATA to access the full article here: Professional Development > Research > Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.