This article presents a therapeutic framework to examine the continuum of creative destruction to transformation through altered book making. The rebuilding of a printed book parallels desired changes that bring individuals to art therapy, including concepts related to reframing, reforming, and reclaiming. The relationship between creative…

An estimated 30,000 drawings remain of the concentration camp artworks generated over the course of the Holocaust. Fabricated in a reality conceived to eradicate not just life but the very will to live, concentration camp art raises the question of the persistence of creativity in traumatic situations. This article explores the witness function of…

This paper examines the cultivation of artistic sensibility and its impact on the art therapy process and product in a community mental health center. Artistic sensibility embodies the sense of self as an artist through the integration of artistic and aesthetic attributes of self and other. The formation of a gallery to exhibit patient art was…

The art therapist's ability to foster the creative process in service of relationship can be a foundation for infusing a social change paradigm into existing practice. For clients affected by discrimination and stigma, art therapy can promote empathy and understanding of the societal forces involved. In this qualitative study, 46 people…

This article examines how altered books can be used in art therapy with adolescents. An altered book is a published book that has been changed into a new work of visual art through various art processes such as painting, drawing, collage, writing, and embellishment. Books are discussed as an art canvas on which to provide stimulation, structure,…

This manuscript explores the interplay of the concepts of "thisness" and singularity with art making. It explores the particularity of the individual--person, object, animal, plant, place, event; the clarity and joyousness of "thisness" or specificity; the exquisite presence of now; and the relationship of these qualities to contemplation and art…

This article describes art therapy techniques grounded in a relational-cultural approach used in a middle school group for girls. Art from the Heart is an interactive preventive intervention designed to facilitate increased connections among group members. It is intended to bring together multiethnic groups of urban girls with complex relational…

This study is an exploration of the art produced by American veterans of the Vietnam War. In the areas of artistic history, military service, and the creative process, Vietnam veteran artists are a diverse group, and there are many different ways of explaining the connection between Vietnam experience and their art. Some individuals made limited…