As a future art educator, it is my role and responsibility to understand the similarities and differences between art education and art therapy as a means to help my students achieve their academic and emotional goals. Understanding that art education and art therapy share the same art making process and need for materials, yet have different objectives which ultimately create a difference in depth and purpose help me make proper judgments in assisting my students in the most appropriate way. I have analyzed these components to help me make suitable choices for the safety and well-being of my future students.
Art education and art therapy share the same general art making process and need for a media use while creating during the art making process. There are “three components or stages that are inherent in the creative and therapeutic processes: the encounter stage, the destructive stage and the reconstruction stage” (D'Amelio, 2000). The encounter stage is the moment that initiates the art making process with the encounter of a vision, obstacle or problem. The deconstructive stage allows for previous beliefs to be demolished and new ideas to surface. Insight and imagination are used both in art education and art therapy for reconstruction. All three of these rudimentary steps occur in the art making processes; whether it be in art education or art therapy. Additionally, an artist’s preferred tool and medium for creating provides insight on their therapeutic experience while making art as well. This is referred to as the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC). Preference of media is not something to be ignored in the art classroom when evaluating academic qualities, such as improvement in technique, but it enlightens the teacher on their meditative method of working. Being aware that media selection provides insight on a student’s mental state can allow art educators to knowledgably contact a social worker if there tends to be some form of abnormality in this process. Media use in the art making process and the art making process itself is the blending of art education and art therapy, yet sometimes requires a judgement by an art educator if any abnormality occurs in this rather regular and consistent process.
Aside from the shared experience of the art making process and selection of media, art education and art therapy have different objectives which influence the depth of the art making process and the different initiations and departures for each practice. The objective of art education is for students to learn how art influences culture and identity and communicate that any individual can have an active voice in the community through visual culture. Art educators provide students with the knowledge, guidance and support to create art work that influences the world around them. Art education is focused on how the final product communicates a message to the environment. On the other hand, art therapy’s’ objective is to focus on the therapeutic process of creating art, not the outcome. Art therapists analyze the ETC and imagery in the artwork for personal insight to the client’s cognitive process for emotional understanding. Although much thought is put into the concept of art education projects, it’s important to note that the depth of the individuals emotions are not conveyed as strongly in art education projects as they are in art therapy projects. Art therapy analyzes the value of the art by asking what its worth is, whereas art education analyzes the message of the piece by asking what its meaning is. The purpose for participating in each practice has distinguishable differences which can be confirmed by their significant initiation and departure. Many people participate in art education because they are students and are required to by the public education system. Many peoples end to art education is when a student has completed school or school no longer requires it. However, art therapy begins when the well-being of the individual is the priority, or a safety concern arises. The end of art therapy is when the concern no longer exists at a pressing level. Although the objectives of art education and art therapy may be different, they may achieve the same outcome. This is when it is important for an art educator to use their judgement about the student’s mental well-being and the need for a social workers help.
My goal as an art educator is to create an atmosphere that is safe and comfortable for students to develop academically and emotionally. In order to make this goal consistent, I need constant support from the other staff and faculty I work with, specifically the social worker. I want the well-being of my students to be as much of a priority as their academic success in the arts. I plan to utilize the strengths of my social worker to help both elements, academic and emotional, co-exist in my classroom for the students who need additional support. Within the first week of obtaining a teaching position as an art educator, I will introduce myself to the social worker at the school. It is important to be aware of any students that may be currently seeing the social worker so that I can bring any concerning artwork to him/her for further analyzation. We can also work together to develop some helpful art therapy exercises for these students. If any other students seem to follow those other students patterns, I will bring the social workers attention to it and see if there is anything to truly be concerned about. If I am unclear, I will have the student write an artist statement. Knowing why an artist creates a piece gives the mental insight about their well-being so that I can make a clear judgement of whether I need to contact the social worker or not. In all cases, it is best to make the social worker aware of anything that may be slightly concerning. Having a relationship with the social worker provides insight on student safety. I can make judgments about student well-being, but rely on the social worker for any serious intervention that needs to occur.
It’s important for my personal health to draw the boundaries of what I can and cannot help with. If my mental health is not up to par, then I cannot educate my students at my highest ability. That’s why it is important for me to be direct with them on the first day and state that “ I want to help you grow as individuals academically with your art through the therapeutic process of art making, but any extreme concerns about mental well-being have to be passed on to someone else. I want to build a strong relationship with all of you, but if something is out of my field of expertise, I need to pass that on to someone who can help you best.” The relationship I develop with my students is to be as genuine and honest as possible. Developing a sense of trust and openness allows students to feel comfortable to speak up about issues they may not want to directly tell the social worker about. They may want to use me as a stepping stone in that process. One way to help build this relationship, with both academic and emotional benefits, is to have a monthly journal check-in. D’Amelio claims that another way “art teachers can enhance artmaking as a therapeutic experience is through empathetically talking with students about their artwork”(2000). I want to show students that I care about what they create when they have the freedom to choose the content of their artwork. Class sizes are often too large which means that each student cannot get the one-on-one time they need daily. Checking in monthly with my students shows I care about them, even when the circumstances of school population hinder the one-on-one support I want to offer.
Art education is important because it helps students discover their identity in a safe environment while having the opportunity to learn how to contribute to visual culture. Being aware of my students artistic freedoms and selection of art materials in the art making process creates a gray area for art education and art therapy. Understanding the different intentions of art education and art therapy can help me make judgments about what my students need to succeed academically and emotionally. It is evident that giving students attention and acknowledgement in a teacher-student relationship with appropriate boundaries and support from the social worker is the best way to provide support for my future students in the art classroom. Utilizing the school support staff is the best way for me to maintain my mental health and the mental health of my students.
References
D'Amelio, P. D.-S. (2000). How Art Teachers Can Enhance Artmaking as a Therapeutic Experience: Art Therapy and Art. In Art Education (pp. 46-53). National Art Education Association .
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