Expressive Arts Burlington
Working in an Expressive Arts (EA) internship over the course of the Spring ’17 semester, I gained many invaluable tools – applicable across ranging ages and ability levels. I worked at Ethan Allen Residence with memory loss seniors, including Alzheimer’s and Dementia residents, some of whom were well into their 90’s. I also worked in multi-modal approaches, such as "Dance, Paint, Write" classes and other integrated EA workshops. I enjoy blending media and expression methods to explore our creativity.
Expressive Arts (EA) encourages personal exploration, wherein the process of creating is more important than the outcome of the work. We are not making work for a presentation– yet we might share our work to discuss what we have produced and what it means to us. In Expressive Arts, once a piece is created, it becomes an entity of its own – to be explored (not judged). This is very different than traditional Art Therapy.
The act of presenting specific materials, offering motivation in a way that encourages creativity and removes judgement and self-criticism, then stepping back, is a very nuanced style of art teaching. Most art educators offer direction and demonstrations; yet in the work of EA, this may actually impede the self-directed exploration and development of self-empowerment, rather than to further it.
Over the course of my internship, I learned suitable prompts and ways to motivate students while allowing them to experience their own unique process within a task at hand. Expressive Arts facilitation methods are as varied as the media choices; the process may be playful, creative, movement based, theatrical, musical, visual arts oriented, or a combination of them all. This internship has deeply impacted my approach to Art Education, and I welcome elements of EA facilitation in my classroom.
For more information on Burlington Expressive Arts, please click here: http://expressiveartsburlington.com/
Working in an Expressive Arts (EA) internship over the course of the Spring ’17 semester, I gained many invaluable tools – applicable across ranging ages and ability levels. I worked at Ethan Allen Residence with memory loss seniors, including Alzheimer’s and Dementia residents, some of whom were well into their 90’s. I also worked in multi-modal approaches, such as "Dance, Paint, Write" classes and other integrated EA workshops. I enjoy blending media and expression methods to explore our creativity.
Expressive Arts (EA) encourages personal exploration, wherein the process of creating is more important than the outcome of the work. We are not making work for a presentation– yet we might share our work to discuss what we have produced and what it means to us. In Expressive Arts, once a piece is created, it becomes an entity of its own – to be explored (not judged). This is very different than traditional Art Therapy.
The act of presenting specific materials, offering motivation in a way that encourages creativity and removes judgement and self-criticism, then stepping back, is a very nuanced style of art teaching. Most art educators offer direction and demonstrations; yet in the work of EA, this may actually impede the self-directed exploration and development of self-empowerment, rather than to further it.
Over the course of my internship, I learned suitable prompts and ways to motivate students while allowing them to experience their own unique process within a task at hand. Expressive Arts facilitation methods are as varied as the media choices; the process may be playful, creative, movement based, theatrical, musical, visual arts oriented, or a combination of them all. This internship has deeply impacted my approach to Art Education, and I welcome elements of EA facilitation in my classroom.
For more information on Burlington Expressive Arts, please click here: http://expressiveartsburlington.com/
