A qualitative research study documents the progress of an adult male art student enrolled in a grade nine art class of adult males in a federal, maximum security penitentiary. Analog drawings were used as part of the curriculum. An analog drawing is a symbolic drawing expressing one's emotions, ideas, and feelings, often used to identify and help…

Discusses when, how, and why elementary school counselors might use art materials in working with children. Discusses establishing a trusting relationship, timing, choice of media, using what emerges therapeutically, processing the session, projective techniques, and training and resources. (ABL)

Given the increasing use of art as a means of fostering communication in therapeutic settings, it was hypothesized that an art-focused group activity might improve social relations on a college campus and reduce campus residents' levels of loneliness. A controlled efficacy evaluation was conducted using college students (N=140) living in 11…

It is generally accepted that males are superior to females in spatial ability. To test this assumption, the Silver Drawing Test (SDT) was administered to students 12 to 15 years old (33 girls and 33 boys) attending public schools in Nebraska, New York, and Pennsylvania. No significant differences in spatial ability were found. (KW)

The Open Studio as a way of working evolved in an effort to maximize the effectiveness of the artmaking project as a means to increase and deepen consciousness. This method differentiates art from psychotherapy and calls into question the validity of marrying the two experiences. (JPS)

Relationships among anger, anger drawing themes, and age are investigated in this follow-up study. Data used were scores from Spielberger's State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) and an anger theme drawing. Chi-square and two-factor ANOVA were used. Results suggest that anger drawing theme is a function of maturity rather than level of…

The symbolic graphic life-line was used with clients (N=50) in short- or long-term group therapy programs. Information expressed through the life-lines helped to integrate the clients' feelings and thoughts in relation to past events, and aided therapists in devising treatment goals. (MKA)

This article describes a small group of preadolescent, psychiatric inpatients and their collaborative painting of a memorial mural about the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Through an immersion in the group experience, the group members became increasingly introspective about their feelings of loss and their…

The number of immigrant and refugee children coming from war-torn countries is increasing in North America. Over the past decades, creative expression activities have been increasingly recognized as a useful way to work with migrant and refugee children. These activities have been used to help them to construct meaning, to structure identity, and…

This journal focuses on art therapy from research, clinical, and educational perspectives. Current issues arrange information under six categories: editorial; commentaries; articles; brief reports; viewpoints; and reviews of books and videotapes. While most articles are not education-related, each issue generally contains some material relevant to…

Intended for researchers, teachers, and administrators, this bibliography covers much of the literature concerned with visual art education and samples materials from the related areas of visual perception, creativity, art therapy, leisure research, and space planning. (Author/SJL)

Examines whether the use of artistic expression in counseling heightened clients' emotional awareness. Analyzed the content of the dialog of six clients who used artistic expression and found that their level of experiencing increased as they discussed their pictures. Recommends art therapy as an adjunct to verbal modes of counseling. (RJM)

Describes the author's practical and theoretical explorations of the potentials of humanistic psychology and expressionistic writing pedagogy for academic and therapeutic learning. Creates a framework based on his own experiences where education and therapy together seek a more holistic approach to their fields. (SR)

Identifies common imagery created by psychiatric inpatients through the amusement park technique; demonstrates how the artwork serves to identify the psychodynamic concerns of the mentally ill substance abuser. Connections are examined relating patients choice of image, psychiatric diagnosis, and drug of choice. This technique offers promise for…

The application of new techniques in brain imaging has expanded the understanding of the different functions and structures of the brain involved in information processing. This paper presents the main areas and functions activated in emotional states, the formation of memories, and the processing of motor, visual, and somatosensory information.…