Here’s a great story and upcoming exhibit that is another testament to the power of art therapy, and how the arts can benefit people in so many ways.
An art therapy school program in New York is having an upcoming exhibit entitled 9/11 Arts: A Decade Later.
Over the years, the New York University Art Therapy Program helped many adults and children coping with the 9/11 tragedy. Dr. Ikuko Acosta, the director of the NYU Art Therapy Program, says that a lot of the more recent art therapy artwork that’s been created, although still stemming from grief, is also reflecting new emotions and issues resulting from the anniversary of September 11.
Acosta recalls a particular firefighter from 9/11:
“He picked up a charcoal and then initially he was playing around with the materials and then a few weeks later he began to kind of draw the Twin Towers, sort of bent in half and it just sort of opened up in this way and he made a series of the Twin Towers in very expressive way,” recalls Acosta. “He was able to sort of bring out some of the things that he was experiencing inside but which he could not put words onto.”
Acosta says they are using art therapy to help benefit people that are dealing with not only psychological and emotional issues, but also physical.
They will also have a map of New York City projected onto the floor so visitors can interact with it by drawing and building.
The exhibit will open on 10th anniversary of 9/11 at 34 Stuyvesant St, 1st floor gallery. You can view the original news story here.
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remembering the twin towers by drawing is realistic.
I’m so struck by the image of the firefighter picking up a piece of charcoal, then begin to play around with the materials. It’s as if the piece of charcoal acted as a bridge for him, something he needed to hold in his hands for a bit, then perhaps realizing (consciously or unconsciously) this was something that once was all that was left in the aftermath of this tragedy and all the others he had been in the middle of fighting for some control of flames, ash, debris, lives… This piece of charcoal, a remnant of fire and burnt ember was something he could hold and control. How weighty, how poignant and exquisite is the process he went through with a small piece of burnt ember which he used to express, create, and ultimately transform some of the pain he held into images. The very act of getting those images and feelings, both abstract and concrete, out of his head, heart, soul and onto the paper gave form to these and therefore, allowed him to start to make some sense of what once may have held him in their grips. A small piece of charcoal, turned over in one’s fingers, acted as a conduit that provided a sense of control and cohesion. Creating art is truly a transformative experience.