Nona Orbach
This week in Israel, art therapists held a conference dedicated to materials. A lecture, a panel, workshops, and an installation of materials remarkably expressed our deep longing to make materials more central to art therapy. We aimed to grant a vast presence and stage to …
In response to the horrific Pogrom events of October 7, 2023, the Creative Arts Therapies Association of Israel (YAHAT) has responded by setting up safe studio spaces across the country. Sadly, we are trauma experts – but we have never experienced such a time. Holocaust …
A toddler asks her kindergarten teacher: what should I draw now? What does her question mean? It seems that she needs help and thinks the correct answer is in the world somewhere, not within herself. Her teacher knows what she should do and not her. …
Materials are patiently waiting for us to provide them with a verbal voice that will elucidate how actions and matter represent emotional and cognitive transformation. I believe this is essential for our future generations of art therapists. Here is a story from my new book: …
Seeing a Spiritual Blueprint in Action—Jackson Pollock The following is a text from my book The Good Enough Studio, that demonstrates aspects of seeing the spiritual blueprint of an accomplished artist in action, quite literally, as we see Jackson Pollock in the act of painting. …
When and where is the shift between an open studio setting to cluttered storage space? If you are an art educator, an art therapist, please ask yourself: Are all the things on my open shelves sufficiently varied, yet not too much? How are many sets …
presentation as inspiration Havi Katchalsky: art and food Presenting a meal or art materials on a table is food to the body and mind. It similarly affects us. It calls for action through objects, …
What is my real task as an art educator? I teach a child to be more and more themselves. I grant permission and encourage independence of thought, style, pace, process, and collaborations. I understand my task as an assistant to human beings as they experience …
Even if you do not have a studio you can still create! Here is a suggestion for the creation of a series of paperwork. I often use this process. You can implement this basic idea of limiting conditions and series to your preference of medium. …
The Good Enough Studio Art Therapy Through the Prism of Space, Matter, and Action One of the book’s main threads is the idea of permission in therapy and education and how it also manifested in the language of materials and studio setting. …