⇒ Ted Meyer, a nationally recognized artist, curator, and patient advocate, will be our keynote speaker on December 17. Ted works to highlight and bring attention to other people’s stories of health and healing. His “Scarred for Life” series visually tells the stories of other people who have been through major traumas.
⇒ The second keynote panel on December 18 is entitled Neuroimaging and Art Therapy Practice and Research: Strengths, Challenges and Sociocultural Considerations. Panelists Girija Kaimal, EdD, MA, ATR-BC; Juliet King, PhD(c), MA, ATR-BC, LPC, LMHC; Christianne Strang, PhD, ATR-BC, CEDCAT-S; and Melissa Walker; MA, ATR (TBD), will discuss neuroimaging research in art therapy, the strengths and limitations of these techniques, and offer examples of how the technologies are currently being employed in clinical interventions. (You won’t want to miss this session—it was standing room only during the in-person conference in Minneapolis!)

AATA’s 2022 Virtual Conference will include content from the in-person conference, all 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. 

Is your AATA membership about to expire? Renew today by logging into your MyAATA account. And for a limited time (through December 15th) you’ll be entered in a raffle to win one of the following items:

Homepod Mini in Blue ($99 value) - 1 winner
AirPods 3rd Generation ($169 value) - 1 winner
Airpods 2nd Generation ($129 value) - 2 winners
$25 Apple Gift Cards - 3 winners

Are you getting the most out of your membership? Check out our Member Benefits page for a refresher on what membership offers. AATA’s goal is to support you at every stage of your professional journey—whether you’re a student seeking mentorship or a professional looking for advice or support.

“The crazy thing about cancer is that once the treatment is completed, you ring a bell — and it’s over. They tell you, 'See you in three months,' and you walk out the door to return to 'normal life.' For seven months, I was in a battle against my daughter’s cancer, and then one day, the war was declared over and she was cancer-free. But I was left with battle scars that no one could see. That’s when I turned to art therapy, and it was lifesaving.”

Giving Tuesday is the annual event dedicated to generosity and supporting others that are a part of your community. For AATA, we are honored to be a part of the work art therapists do year-round: supporting clients, mentoring students or new professionals, or volunteering with AATA or in your community.

This Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, we invited you to join us in supporting our community and the work art therapists do every day. It’s not too late to participate! Here are FIVE ways you can contribute:

⇒ Donate directly to one of AATA’s funds, supporting the next generation of students and researchers.
⇒ Donate via Facebook during their Giving Tuesday matching campaign and share our fundraiser on social media.
⇒ Renew your membership (and add a donation during check out) by logging into MyAATA.
⇒ GIFT a membership to a friend, student, or colleague to welcome them into our AATA community! (Learn more in our Member Benefits page)
⇒ Representing an education program or business? Purchase AATA memberships for current art therapy students or professionals through our new Affiliate Member program.

Looking for another way to support AATA? Consider purchasing Awakening to Nature’s Beauty: 10 New England Meditations for the Wandering Spirit, created by Jennifer Ingham, MSC and Moriah M. Mylod MAAT, ATR, RYT. The book offers readers of all ages an immersive and visual experience through vibrant descriptions of East Coast locations and a way to connect and calm your mind during this period of continued uncertainty. The four seasons are represented in words and earth mandala photography. Thanks to Jennifer and Moriah, 100% of the profits from this book goes to AATA.

“If I can help bring a small bit of joy and curiosity through art into a part of a patient’s life, that is truly powerful. We all have a story and our story matters. Each person matters. Visual art helps give choices back to the patients who have lost the ability to make many of the choices in their care and empowering the patient to make decisions in art, to do things in art, to observe things in art, is important to their ability to cope with their circumstances.”