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Top 12 Liu Bolin Invisible Man Paintings
You may not have heard of Liu Bolin, and you probably haven’t seen him either. But it’s possible he’s standing right next to you. One of my favorite artists, Liu Bolin injects himself into everyday settings. Known as The Invisible Man, Liu takes a unique and creative approach to performance art. Check out a short video about Liu and then see what we’ve deemed are the Top 12 Liu Bolin Invisible Man Pictures/Paintings:
How Chinese Artist, Liu Bolin, Becomes The Invisible Man
Filed as Artwork | Comments (2)“…my art is cultural. It represents the diminishing humanity in today’s society. I use my art to be retrospective on culture…the environment and fast economic development.”
‘Crazy Art’ Documentary Explores Art Therapy, Schizophrenia
Prejudice by Trinaty Lopez-Wakefield from ‘Crazy Art’
A reader emailed us information about a new documentary titled “Crazy Art” that was recently featured at the 2010 Santa Barbara Film Festival. The film follows three people with schizophrenia and their struggle with mental illness.
While the three artists have been plagued by schizophrenia from a young age and have experienced life from unique perspectives, all of them find comfort through creating art. While I haven’t seen the movie yet, it looks very interesting. Below are some videos, including the trailer, an interview, a synopsis, and the original press release.
‘Crazy Art’ Trailer
Filed as Mental Health & Art Therapy | Comments (4)7 Art Therapy Testimonials From a Mental Hospital
This literally brought a tear to my eye. It ’s an older video, but it really showcases the effect art can have on people. In this particular video, the focus is on people from the Mississippi State Hospital and their Community Services Program for people with mental illness. And while this may or may not be professional art therapy, it sure is tough to deny the therapeutic benefits art has on the seven people featured in this video. We can debate where art ends and therapy begins all we want, but if a person believes there is therapeutic benefit from the art they’re creating, why should anyone tell them differently? This video was inspiring, touching, and heartfelt for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Art Therapy & Art Show at a Mental Hospital
Filed as Mental Health & Art Therapy | Comments (3)Art Therapy Aids Trauma Recovery, Helps Indigenous Women Heal
Every once in a while a truly inspiring and touching story comes along. I’d like to share one of these stories with you today. It’s a story about art therapy helping indigenous women in Australia overcome trauma. It brought tears to my eyes once before, and I was ecstatic to follow up and share with you this wonderful story again.
The following is an exclusive look into the wonderful work that Lee George is doing in Australia (want to make a difference? check out some art therapy schools in Australia) to help indigenous women overcome so much trauma. She is proof that one person can make a big difference. I’m honored to share her story and hope it is as inspiring for you as it is me. An image gallery and slide presentation are below as well. Enjoy… Continue reading »
Filed as PTSD & Art Therapy | Comments (7)Art Therapy Aids Health Care
The following is a news story about art therapy with coverage of Tracy Councill and Tracy’s Kids. Lisa Sylvester and CNN report on the role that art therapy plays in health care.
Art Therapy in Health Care Video
Filed as Videos | Comments (7)Saudi Arabia’s Art Therapy, Rehab Program For Terrorists, Jihadists
*Update 12/31: ABC News has updated their story about the terrorists released from Gitmo that attended an art therapy program in Saudi Arabia. They originally reported that 2 terrorists from the Saudi art therapy program were involved, but have since redacted their statement and are now saying it was just 1 from the program that was involved in the attacks on Christmas Day. We want to make sure we call out ABC for their continued poor reporting. Their statement is below.
ABCNews.com reported Monday in error that former Guantanamo prisoner #333, Muhamad Attik al-Harbi, was one of four leaders of the al Qaeda group that claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing.
Al-Harbi, who now goes by the name Muhamad al-Awfi, turned himself in to the Saudi government in Februrary 2009 and therefore could not have played a direct role in organizing the attempt to bring down Northwest flight 253.
Al-Harbi appeared in a propaganda tape released by the group in January 2009. According to published reports, he surrendered to Saudi security forces one month later in February 2009, well before the August arrival in Yemen of accused underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
We felt it was necessary to address some of the recent press surrounding art therapy and the failed terrorist attack on Christmas Day. It’s been a rough a few days for the art therapy world. Even the American Art Therapy Association has issued a public response, which we’ll let you judge on your own. Our response is more directed at ABC News’ poor coverage of art therapy and the jihad rehab program in Saudi Arabia. Continue reading »
Filed as News and Events | Comments (2)Kids With Autism Become ‘Kids With Cameras’
A new documentary by The Polaris Group was just released called “Kids With Cameras.”
From the movie website http://www.kidswithcamerasmovie.com/:
Kids With Cameras follows the progress, challenges and triumphs of a group of autistic children participating in a film camp hosted by non-profit organization Actors for Autism, and taught by award-winning educator Brad Koepenick.
This one-hour documentary provides a window into revealing moments of he kids’ private lives – combined with interviews with their families – as they learn to express themselves through films, poems, painting and music.
Recent research – as well as testimonials from parents of the campers – indicates that developing the creative and acting abilities of autisti children significantly improves their communication and socialization skills, something that is frequently overlooked as a therapeutic tool.
Kids With Cameras takes viewers on an unforgettable journey of this process, poignantly demonstrating that creativity is an essential step to connect the increasing autistic population with the rest of their, and our, world.
Looks pretty cool! Here is a clip:
Kids With Cameras Trailer
Filed as Autism & Art Therapy | Comments (3)Last Minute Holiday Art Therapy Ideas
The holidays can be a stressful time of year for a lot of people. Although many people are on vacation and have some time off during the holidays, it’s not always the most relaxing time of year. Stress during the holidays can stem from family, friends, finding gifts, holiday traffic, long lines, money…you get the idea.
With all the stress of the holidays, there’s a lot of creativity that can go into (or come out of) the holidays as well. Here are some last minute holiday/Christmas art therapy ideas you can expand on to release some of the stress and anxiety:
- make your own wrapping paper…use old newspapers, magazines, cloth, etc.
- make ornaments from various crafts around the house
- decorate holiday foods such as cookies, pies, etc.
- make a picture or photo frame
- cut out parts of old holiday cards to create a new holiday card or holiday collage
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Feel free to expand on these ideas and your own creative touch. And if you’d like to share them in the comments, even better!
The Art Therapy Blog wishes you and your loved ones a Happy Holidays and a joyous new year!
Filed as Art Therapy Ideas | Comment (1)Become Stress Free With New iPhone Apps
In a recent development that some might consider ironic, there are some new iPhone apps that will attempt to help you reduce stress. There are two new iPhone apps that have come out recently that are geared towards helping you have a stress free holidays. The first one we’ll discuss is a relatively basic one, and the second one is by the master of serenity himself, Deepak Chopra. Continue reading »
Filed as News and Events | Comment (1)Children With Cancer Have A High Probability Of Survival In Germany
The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care in Cologne, Germany has reported that children with cancer have a high probability of survival in Germany. Greater than 80 percent of the children with cancer in Germany between 2000 and 2004 survived at least five years. Researches also discovered some positive aspects like a parent accompanying the child in the hospital or the valuable role music therapy plays in managing the disease. They essentially concluded that more studies are ncessary, as well as a a discussion on quality of life, paint, etc. You can read more about the study and its findings here.
Filed as Cancer & Art Therapy | Comment (1)
