ART
This class has been developed to introduce young children to beginning skills, and art tools. Children will be introduced to basic art vocabulary, and encouraged to acquire new skills through this activity-based studio art class. Children will be introduced to charcoal drawing, painting, design, watercolors, collage, and more. Students will be introduced to color theory and will learn about primary, secondary, cool, and warm colors. Children will be given opportunity to explore, create, and achieve. The purpose of this class is to maximize and maintain the child’s Art interest, as he is challenged to develop a higher level of skills and knowledge.
Purpose of Art as a Therapy
The purpose of art as a therapy is the same as any other psycho-therapeutic modality: to improve or maintain mental health and emotional well-being. But whereas some of the other expressive therapies utilize the performing arts for expressive purposes, art therapy generally utilizes drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and other forms of visual art expression. For that reason art therapists are trained to recognize the nonverbal symbols and metaphors that are communicated within the creative process, symbols and metaphors which might be difficult to express in words or in other modalities. By helping their clients to discover what underlying thoughts and feelings are being communicated in the artwork and what it means to them, it is hoped that clients will not only gain insight and judgment, but perhaps develop a better understanding of themselves and the way they relate to the people around them. According to Malchiodi "Art making is seen as an opportunity to express one self imaginatively, authentically, and spontaneously, an experience that, over time, can lead to personal fulfillment, emotional reparation, and transformation. The creative process can be a "health-enhancing and growth-producing experience."
