Art Therapy and Art Within Art
Art Proposal by Nick Lemos
Background
Art therapy is an
established mental health profession that uses the creative process of
art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional
well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that
the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people
to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage
behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and
achieve insight.
Art therapy integrates the fields of human development, visual art
(drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art forms), and the creative
process with models of counseling and psychotherapy. Art therapy is
used with children, adolescents, adults, older adults, groups, and
families to assess and treat the following: anxiety, depression, and
other mental and emotional problems and disorders; mental illness;
substance abuse and other addictions; family and relationship issues;
abuse and domestic violence; social and emotional difficulties related
to disability and illness; trauma and loss; physical, cognitive, and
neurological problems; and psychosocial difficulties related to medical
illness. Art therapy programs are found in a number of settings
including hospitals, clinics, public and community agencies, wellness
centers, educational institutions, businesses, and private practices.
Proposal
I propose that art
can be developed even further out of the artwork already being created
through art therapy. With consent of the patient/artist, equipment will
be connected to the patient that monitors brain activity and brain
functioning while they are creating art. This technology will record
the changes occurring in the brain while the artistic therapy is taking
place. A variety of different types of patients( i.e.: addiction
patients, depression patients, p.t.s.d. patients) will have their brain
activity recorded with medical technological devices.
After all the necessary brain functioning has been recorded
through visual representation, it will later be displayed in a gallery
type setting. Patients’ brain activity will be projected against
the gallery wall on a constant loop while their artwork is displayed
directly underneath the projection. Therefore, you will be able to see
exactly went on in that artist/patient’s brain while they created the
artwork you are currently observing. You will also observe that if by
creating that specific piece of artwork, it somehow aided in the
healing of their illness.
What the display will look like:
