EXHIBITION STATEMENT

As the effects of COVID-19 on college students’ mental and physical well-being became more apparent, it seemed clear that there was a need for some sort of stress relief for college students. Our workshop “Creative Expression of Emotion” aimed to provide a creative outlet for students’ emotions through the exploration of different art mediums and meaningful group discussions. Through these discussions, they had the opportunity to explore their feelings and find cathartic stress relief by expressing their emotions through a craft. Giving students the space and guidance to share and interpret their emotions can open a whole world of expression through artwork. In Creative Expression of Emotion, we provided Arts Scholars with exactly that. They gained skills in visual art, some of which will be displayed in this exhibition such as painting, collaging, origami, creative writing as well as art analysis of influential art figures in the mental health awareness world.

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History & Distinction

Stemming from the mental health awareness work of those such as Gloria Swain, Jeremy Zucker, dodie, and Neil Hilborn, we implemented modern-day artists to express the importance of mental health in today's creative world. Most know about the famous examples of artists who struggled with their mental health, such as Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh...but what has happened in the past 50 years? As the movement for mental health advocacy continues to rise, it has affected how emotional expression is seen around us, specifically in the art industry. This includes all forms, from music to writing to painting. By providing a safe space for students to try out all of these art forms, our goal is to expand on this ability for us to express ourselves through art. What makes this workshop unique and innovative is the blend of freedom of expression with the assistance through guided workshops and inspiration from the analysis of other influential modern-day artists. When developing this course, the leaders conducted research on both the history, mainly recent, of artists who advocate for mental health awareness as well as the psychology side of art therapy. And although our goals were not "therapy" per say, Creative Expression of Emotion covers both the psychology of emotional expression and stress relief through artistic activities. Much influence for the idea of this workshop came from the work of Art Therapists and the field of psychology to analyze the impact of therapeutic and expressive outlets on the mental and physical well-being of people. Our workshop expands on Art Therapy exercises and combines them with fun arts & crafts while cultivating meaningful conversations to allow workshop participants to explore their emotions with their peers while doing a fun task. We reviewed many peer-reviewed publications, journals, and studies about the benefits of art therapy and various different methods that helped inspire and inform the activities we did in the workshop. 

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Methods

During the research process of planning the workshop, we referenced primary research such as psychology publications, the history of influential artists centering around mental health, and personal experiences from those around us. Utilizing this knowledge and research allowed us to develop week-by-week lesson plans with a variety of topics that cater to many "sides" of emotional expression through art. Led by introducing the attendees to a new art form each week, the workshops required deep digging into how certain emotions can be expressed through art, and sometimes even released. Taking the approach of switching up the art form each week allowed for something new each week, while also building on techniques learned throughout the semester. In addition, we decided to implement case studies during the semester to allow the students to take a deep dive into a specific artist and the value of their works in the mental health industry. Conducting research on these individuals in turn provided inspiration for many of the students to implement into their future work. which ultimately turned into a final piece or portfolio as seen in the exhibition. Creative expression of emotion was designed in a way that was consistent through class structure, yet engaging by experimenting with a variety of mediums and forms as well as homework assignments that required discussion posts, filling out art journals, etc.

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Audience & Impact

The desired audience of the workshop is students looking for an outlet to express emotions or better their emotional intelligence. There were no requirements besides involvement in Arts Scholars, so it was truly open to any Art student, allowing the audience to be mainly up to those who signed up and who were willing to put in the work to learn and better their emotional expression through various art forms. The brief lessons, case studies, group discussion times, and homework assignments all combined and weaved to create an outlet for increased emotional awareness and relief from some of the stressors caused by school and beyond. The workshop influenced students’ creative growth as individuals and a community by equipping them with new knowledge of the benefits of different crafts and also allowing them to explore how others learn to express their emotions in a collaborative safe space. By completing this workshop, we learned so much about how each individual interprets emotions and how we can be emotionally intelligent toward our own emotions as well as toward others' feelings. In addition, it has taught us that there are so many different ways that one can express their emotions and that people process and perceive emotions so differently, along with introducing us to so many amazing Arts Scholars students and providing an opportunity for personal growth as teachers and artists. All of the students gained something different from the workshop and all created vastly different pieces, yet they all relate back to an impactful feeling or emotion to them.

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References

Barwell, Ismay. “How Does Art Express Emotion?” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 45, no. 2, 1986, pp. 175–182., https://doi.org/10.1111/1540_6245.jaac45.2.0175.

Snyder, Beverly A. “Expressive Art Therapy Techniques: Healing the Soul through Creativity.” The Journal of Humanistic Education and Development, vol. 36, no. 2, 1997, pp. 74–82., https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2164-4683.1997.tb00375.x.

Treadon, Carolyn Brown, et al. “Opening the Doors of Art Museums for Therapeutic Processes.” The Arts in Psychotherapy, vol. 33, no. 4, 2006, pp. 288–301. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2006.03.003.

Acknowledgments 

Charlotte:

Special thanks to Harold, Heather, Gabi, and TA Vicki for all of their assistance and guidance in making this workshop happen from start to finish. We truly would not have been able to succeed without them and owe all of the success to their feedback and help throughout the past year. I also could not have asked for a better co-leader and would like to thank Tiffany for sticking with me for all of this year as we planned and executed this amazing workshop. In addition, we would like to thank all of our lovely workshop attendees for their eager willingness to learn and try new things each week. We are so proud of what you have created during the semester and think you all created wonderful ArtsFest pieces!

Tiffany:

I would like to thank the Arts Scholars directors Harold and Heather, and also TA Gabi for helping give feedback on our pre-workshop plans and also guiding us through the process of the workshop. I would like to thank our TA Vicki for being such great support & pitching in whenever she could. I would also like to thank Charlotte, my co-leader, who has worked tirelessly with me for two semesters to plan and lead the workshop. Lastly, I would like to thank all the workshop participants for being so kind, cooperative, creative, and such a joy to lead in the workshop!