TRANSLATING PRINCIPLESÂ FROM ART CURATING TO ART THERAPY PRACTICE
ART THERAPY: A FIELD DIVIDED BETWEEN ART AND PSYCHOLOGY
Art therapy is a field with roots in both psychology and art. Historically, art therapists conceptualized and debated a spectrum of polarities between art and psychotherapy approaches to practice (Allen, 1992; Naumberg, 1987; Ulman, 1975; Wadeson, 1980). Due to the pressures to be recognized as a legitimate field in the world of counseling and psychology, many art therapists keep pace with contemporary psychotherapy practices more closely than they do with current practices in the art world (Gilroy, 2008; Moon, C., 2010). Modernist ideas about art, such as the notion of art as a solitary process intended to excavate the unconscious, are historical artifacts that influence art therapy practice today and impede renewed art-based approaches (Halifax, 1996; Moon, C., 2010). Several art therapists have addressed the need for further research in the field that draws from knowledge of current art practices (Alter-Muri & Klein, 2007; Gilroy 2008; Halifax 1996; Marxen, 2009; Moon, C., 2010). Although curating is mentioned briefly in the art therapy literature (Gilroy, 2008; Moon, B., 2016) a research study translating principles from art curating for use in art therapy practice doesn’t exist in the literature. This research study and resulting website were designed to address the need for current art frameworks in the field of art therapy.
ART CURATING A POSSIBLE LENSÂ FOR ART THERAPY PRACTICE
There are several reasons why I chose to explore the field of art curating as a potential framework for art therapy. Unlike art therapists the job of an art curator depends on keeping pace with current art practices and is intrinsically tied to what is happening in the art world (George, 2015). Some curators create exhibition that involves expertise in linking art, objects, and spatial elements to communicate a story or narrative (Hoffman, 2014). Curators are also experts at engaging and educating a wide range of people about art (Smith, 2012). Another important function of curators is their ability to position art or artists in the world in a way that translates the message of their work and also provides context and relevance for others viewing the work (Schaffner, as cited in Marincola & Nesbett, 2013). Curators provide both care and critique for artists, encouraging and helping with the process but also providing a critical reflection when needed (Molesworth, as cited in as cited in Marincola & Nesbett, 2013). It was these initial findings about the role and the responsibilities of a curator that lead me to believe that it was a potential art-based lens for art therapy.
COLLECTING STONES
The stones in this contextual background section are a metaphor for my research process. During the course at Mt Mary University where I first conceptualized this research study, I spent time walking by the river close to campus. Wading across the river to pick up stones from the opposite bank became a metaphor for what I sought to do in my study. When I presented my research ideas I used the metaphor of collecting stones to illustrate how I intended to explore the field of art curating and bring ideas back to the field of art therapy.