In the most recent episode of the Creative Therapy Sessions Podcast, available on Itunes, Melissa Solorzano speaks with Brian Austin, MPS. Brian is the founder of The Animation Project, where he integrates animation with art therapy for adolescents. Brian also on the editorial review board for Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.
I’m excited to hear about the new directions art therapy is taking in relation to technology. This is a subject I’m interested in since there isn’t a substantial amount of literature correlating modern technology and art therapy with the older literature which discusses the therapeutic value and theory of more traditional media, including painting, drawing, sculpture and collage.
The interview with Brian focused upon ways to create computer animated pieces, which may not be practical in all institutions considering the cost of a computer and the software. Certainly, if you work for a non-profit you may qualify to grants or donations, and computers are much cheaper than they used to be. However, lets not forget that there are inexpensive ways of animating without a computer…flip books! The upside to flip books are that they require minimal materials and once they are made are so much fun to look at over and over. It also may spark an interest in learning other animation techniques including those that require computer knowledge. However, I think part of what makes integrating computer animation with art therapy particularly interesting to adolescents is the fact that it’s very much in tune with the times and their interests. Also, you’re teaching them a skill that, with further education, may even turn into a career.
In any case, I think flip book making could be a great intro into the world of animation, and may be more feasible for art therapists to integrate into their practices. Here’s a video series that demonstrates how to create a flip book.
This is a great idea! I’m currently interning with a non-profit that provides bereavement services for children and adults. We are interested in using animation art therapy because we believe it will be a great way to get children and teenagers to express themselves in a way that is enjoyable and educational. I came upon The Animation Project in my research of this type of therapy and found it fascinating. If anyone knows of any more resources I could look to for more information on the subject, I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!
Hey Luci,
I think there are some resources out there in terms of the benefits of movie making in art therapy groups. If you do a google search on the subject of animation + art therapy, most of what comes up are small blurbs about animation or places to take animation courses.
Here’s a book I found that’s coming out in December and has a section devoted to contemporaty media in art therapy:
http://www.artstherapyarena.com/books/Materials-and-Media-in-Art-Therapy-isbn9780415993135
Also, check out this website that Brian Austin has created. Its a pretty cool forum for both learning and networking with other art therapists interested in new media. There’s also a suggested reading list, that you may find helpful:
http://www.computerarttherapy.com/index.html