Update on the Naropa AT Response to Wildfires

"Art has the potential to change lives and often in profound ways. When words are not enough, we turn to images and symbols to tell our stories. And in telling our stories through art, we can find a path to health and wellness, emotional reparation, recovery, and ultimately, transformation." 

- Cathy Malchiodi

The Naropa art therapy community is currently offering 2 forms of support for those impacted by the recent wildfires and would like to offer an invitation for the Naropa community at large to participate.  The Art Therapy program is based on the foundation of nurturing socially engaged art therapists through the practice of serving and building community through the arts.  We believe in the inherent power of art making to improve lives, bring about positive change, build community and to help tell people's stories when words are not enough. 

Please join us in one of two ways:

* Free Naropa Community Art Studio Open Studio at the Nalanda Campus on 63rd and Arapahoe in Boulder will be open each Sunday from 09/12 until 10/31 from 10am-1pm for persons affected by the fire. It is an open studio with the intention of creating individual and community art in order to express and witness the experiences, emotions, and stories of people impacted by this tragic event.  All who are feeling the impact of this fire are invited to participate.

* Offer words and/or art in cards of gratitude!  Please take a moment to write a note of gratitude to one of the many fire fighters, volunteers, and rescue workers who provided front-line assistance to local residents impacted by the wildfire!  The act of taking care to create something thoughtful and special for another human has the potential to be a very powerful experience for the sender and the receiver.  Cards are ready for your kind words and/or creative flair at the Transpersonal Counseling Psychology (TCP) office on the Paramita campus.

• Write a note of gratitude in a pre-decorated card

• Take a set of blank cards to decorate for those who do not have time to decorate or do not identify as artists who would still like to contribute
• Take cards for your friends, classes, roommates, or co-workers to decorate or write in
• Make your own homemade cards and drop them off at the TCP Office front desk

All cards will be collected and distributed 
to local Boulder agencies on:
Monday, October 4th

Please contact Chelsea O'Neil at chelseaoneil@gmail.com with any questions

Giving Thanks!

Transpersonal Counseling Psychology students from Naropa gathered on Saturday to cut, fold, and decorate handmade cards.  Art therapy students are highly encouraged to pick up a small stack of cards to decorate and return without messages so that those that don’t feel comfortable decorating are still able to write messages.  We are looking for any and all forms of gratitude, particularly making it easier for those that do not identify as artists or have the time to decorate to be able to participate by writing messages in beautiful, handmade cards.

Naropa community members are invited to…
• Write a note of gratitude in a pre-decorated card
• Take a set of blank cards and decorate them yourself
• Take cards for your friends, roommates, co-workers or family members to decorate or write in

Cards are ready for kind words and creative flair at the front desk of the Transpersonal Counseling Psychology office on the Paramita campus. 

All cards will be collected and distributed to local Boulder agencies on: Monday, October 4th

Offering Gratitude!

The fire has been one of the most destructive fires in Colorado, destroying more homes than any other blaze in state history. 700 firefighters and support personnel have been in action for days!  We will be making thank-you cards for firefighters, law enforcement, and rescue/aid workers helping with the fire efforts.  We need help!  Artists, art therapists, students, friends, family, Boulderites, and the like....

If you're interested in mailing in cards in from somewhere else or making a donation, please email chelseaoneil@gmail.com for contact info.


We will be making thank-you cards for firefighters, law enforcement, and rescue/aid workers helping with the fire efforts on
Saturday, Sept. 18th we will be meeting in the studio from 12pm-4pm to…
•    Cut paper
•    Fold cards and bind in small packages with ribbon
•    Decorate cards
•    Write messages

Cards will be at the front desk of the TCP office, the art studio and possibly somewhere on the Arapahoe campus for students and faculty to write messages and/or decorate the cards and then return them to the pick-up point.  I will then collect all of the cards and drop them off at designated stations throughout the community.  Awesome Amy of the 1st years is checking on card stock donations.  If you have any materials that could be of use please bring them by on Saturday the 18th!

Art therapy students are highly encouraged to pick up a small stack of cards to decorate and return without messages so that those that don’t feel comfortable decorating are still able to write messages.  

This is a GREAT activity for students to work on while in community art studio or on Sunday if you’re willing to help out in NCAS!  Feel free to take cards to your places of employment, in the community or classes, for your roommates, or bring your own homemade cards from other places for the donation.   

We are looking for any and all forms of gratitude, particularly blank cards which will make it easier for those that do not identify as artists or have the time to decorate to be able to participate by writing messages in beautiful, handmade cards.

Naropa Art Therapy Community Responds to Boulder Fire

 A fire broke out Monday outside of Boulder and spread over roughly 6,300 acres. It has since become one of the most destructive fires in Colorado, destroying more homes than any other blaze in state history.  According to a recent Huffington Post article, about 3,500 people have been out of their homes for four days and fire managers said as many as 700 firefighters and support personnel and seven air tankers were assigned to fight the fire, considered the nation's top firefighting priority.

We are quickly brainstorming ideas to aid fire evacuees in the area.  As students and professionals in the art therapy community we are joining forces to help in whatever way that we can.  First off,  

The Naropa Community Art Studio at the Nalanda Campus on 63rd and Arapahoe in Boulder will be open each Sunday from 09/12 until 10/31 from 10am-1pm for persons affected by the fire. It is an open studio with the intention of creating individual and community art in order to express and witness the experiences, emotions, and stories of people impacted by this tragic event.  All who are feeling the impact of this fire are invited to participate.

All other Naropa art therapy community efforts will be posted on this blog.  Feedback and ideas for projects are welcome and encouraged.

Many blessings.  Stay safe.

For the latest news on the fire and resources available in the community, check out this link:

http://twitter.com/YahooNews/boulderfire 


or visit http://www.boulderfire.com/

 

View Free Presentations on Slideshare.net

If you're interested in learning, particularly about art therapy, there are some great presentations online for free at http://www.slideshare.net/.  Just go to the site and search for whatever topic you're interested in.  PowerPoint Presentations have been uploaded by users and are accessible for free to the public.  You yourself can also create an account and upload your own presentations in order to promote your work or share what you've been up to with an online community.

Here are some examples of presentations you can view on art therapy:

Social Media and Art Therapy
Art Therapy as an Alternative Treatment
Art Therapy & Trauma: Art Helps Indigenous Women Heal
International Art Therapy Research
Healing Dolls as a Therapeutic Art Therapy Intervention
Bruce Perry's Impact: Considerations for Art Therapy & Children

Head over to slidshare.net and start a search of your own!

Artist Trading Card Exchange!

The Linked-in group Materials and Media in Art Therapy is once again hosting an Artist Trading Card exchange! The theme for this go-round is "Collage Unleashed."  This time, there s still a chance for you to sign up! The deadline to sign up is August 11 by 8pm EST. 

In order to sign up there are a few guidelines for you to follow:

• You must be a member Materials and Media subgroup of the Art Therapy Alliance group at Linked-in

(if you are not already a member, Linked-in is free and all you have to do is a group search to find those listed above)

• You must then email the host of the swap, Melanie.

(her email is listed in the conversation post in the Materials and Media subgroup... since this is for members only, please sign up and log in to get it. I'd hate to share private info with the whole web!)

• The email must have "Alliance ATC Swap" in the header.
• The email should include your full name and mailing address.

Once you have signed up, make 4 ATCs based on the theme Collage Unleashed. These and a self addressed return envelope need to be in the mail no later than August 30. Melanie will then take the time sort through the ATCs, and on the week of September 7 she will send you 4 ATCs from other swap participants.

This is a fun and creative way to network with your fellow art therapists and art therapy students. 

Happy creating!

Art Therapy & Technology: Linkedin

Post by: Annice Johnson, Class of 2011

The Internet is an amazing tool for art therapists, well, for anyone. There is a site in particular I would like to highlight: Linkedin.

Linkedin is a free professional social networking site, so it is like facebook with a suit on. As students about to emerge into a professional realm, I have found Linkedin to be a resource worth investing some time in.  Once you have become a member, you can join groups. In the search option under groups - I typed in the words art therapy. A list of art therapy groups pops up; these include: Art Therapy Alliance, International Art Therapy Organization (IATO), and many subgroups that explore more specific realms of art therapy, such as trauma work with art therapy, various mediums used, medical art therapy, and digital art therapy.

Once you join a group, there are discussions posted to the page, so it is like a chat room all dressed up with a tie. These discussions are useful in a variety of ways. As a networking site - it is helpful in meeting art therapists who are often more than willing to answer your questions. Once, I posted a discussion about a population I was studying for a class presentation. Several art therapist who worked directly with that population messaged me valuable information. Not only was it helpful for my research, but I now have some contacts that work with the population I am interested in. Valuable, no?! 

Currently, Gretchen Miller through the Materials and Media in Art Therapy Linkedin subgroup is hosting an ATC (artist trading cards) swap for members of the subgroup with the theme of "Art Therapy: Helping Others, Communities, and the World". This is a fun way to network with other actively creative art therapists. The rules were to create 4 ATCs.  Once all members have sent in their ATCs Gretchen will mail back 3 from other art therapists. The 4th cards are being kept for the Art Therapy Alliance.  Not only is this fun, but now I am able to contact other participants and start networking with them. I can't wait to find out what 3 art therapist I will receive ATCs from! 

While it is too late to sign up for this swap, there are already rumors about another one forming... so quick, hop like a bunny and sign up for Linkedin, and join the Materials and Media in Art Therapy subgroup.

Here are the ATCs I sent in:

To see the ATCs already submitted visit the Art Therapy Alliance Facebook page.