04/24/2024
Art therapists, artists, therapists, and healers have been practicing community healing that integrates art mediums and practices throughout history. “Creative and artistic expression has historically and simultaneously evolved as a part of human civilizations around the world (Dutton, 2010). Many scholars assert that art-making is an integral part of human functioning and would not have evolved or been a sustained part of human existence if it did not serve a significant adaptive purpose (Dutton, 2010; Davies, 2012; Kaimal, 2019). While the western world’s recognition of the therapeutic benefits of the arts is more recent, Indigenous societies have acknowledged the healing power of visual art, dance, music, drama, and storytelling for millennia. Indigenous knowledge (Chilisa, 2012; Pascoe, 2015) highlights the importance of traditional wisdom and insight, including the close interaction of artistic practice with natural materials, creative agency, and contemplative and spiritual meaning-making (Franklin, 2017) while recognizing our interconnectedness with other living beings in nature (Pascoe, 2015; Nagarajan, 2018).”- Girija Kaimal and Asli Arslanbek, 2020
Visual expression has been used for healing throughout history, but art therapy did not emerge as a distinct profession until the 1940s. In the early 20th century, psychiatrists became interested in the artwork created by their patients with mental illness. At around the same time, educators were discovering that children's art expressions reflected developmental, emotional, and cognitive growth. By mid-century, hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers increasingly began to include art therapy programs along with traditional "talk therapies," underscoring the recognition that the creative process of art-making enhanced recovery, health, and wellness. As a result, the profession of art therapy grew into an effective and important method of communication, assessment, and treatment with children and adults in a variety of settings.
