First Friday Scranton Holds Graduate Art Therapy Symposium

Marywood University’s Graduate Art Therapy Symposium took on a different look in 2020. Similar to other in-person events, the Art Therapy Symposium faced the challenge of how best to display students’ works as a result of in-person events being postponed or canceled. First Friday Scranton generously agreed to post the exhibition online, at https://firstfridayscranton.com/5977-2/.

The exhibition was co-curated by Dr. Ashley Hartman, assistant professor of art, and the graduate art therapy students enrolled in the museum-based Art Therapy course at Marywood University. The exhibition highlighted mixed-media works that explore the narrative of graduate art therapy students in response to their development in professional identity and the aspirations they have regarding their future art therapy practices.

The mixed-media pieces included a component of handmade paper that was created during an open-studio creative art workshop, or independently by each student. This exhibition highlighted the possibilities of co-curating an exhibition as part of creative interventions in the expressive arts. The stories and reflective writings of the students related to their own self-exploration as they navigated the next steps in their art therapy training.

Marywood University’s master of arts degree in Art Therapy trains professionals in the mental health field to use art as a catalyst for healing and self-actualization. Art therapy aids human development through self-discovery, self-awareness, and personal growth. Marywood’s art therapy program exposes students to a variety of theories and approaches related to the practice of art therapy and the field of psychology. The master’s degree in art therapy at the University is approved by the American Art Therapy Association.