Beloit College will once again feature artwork designed by students of The Richardson School for a limited term this spring. This year’s exhibit will include artistic creations from four of the therapeutic day school’s locations including Beloit, Brookfield, Madison, and West Allis.
The exhibit debuts Thursday, March 30, with a special public reception from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Wright Museum of Art, 700 College Street in Beloit. Artwork by The Richardson School students will display through April 2 during the museum’s regularly scheduled hours. Admission is free for both the museum and opening night reception.
“Art Ties Us Together” is this year’s theme selected by The Richardson School’s Art Therapists signifying how each of the organization’s day schools work together for one common goal: to improve the lives of children with developmental/neurological disabilities and mental health concerns. This year’s exhibit is the first to include artwork from all four of the school’s locations.
“We wanted an art exhibition that celebrates diversity of expression within a united and collaborative community of schools” explained Laura Baker, admissions coordinator at the Beloit location. “Students are connected to their artwork, and the free expression it allows. Showcasing the therapeutic value of our students’ artwork at Beloit College is exciting for everyone, including both the staff and the children we support.”
Art is a growing resource for those interested in developing self-awareness, exploring emotions, and addressing unresolved emotional conflicts while raising self-esteem. Its therapeutic environment primarily helps individuals experiencing emotional and psychological challenges to achieve personal well-being and improved levels of function.
“Students showcased in the gallery are allowed to be as creative as they want”, says Sasha Spataro, art therapist at The Richardson School in Beloit. “This creativity allows students an outlet of expression when students are not always willing or able to verbalize their thoughts.”
The Richardson School is an alternative therapeutic day school whose therapeutic approaches support over 100 students each year throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. The organization’s philosophy is to provide students the skills they need to function successfully, and return to their home school environment as soon as possible. Art therapy has been part of the curriculum at The Richardson School since it opened six years ago.
Design flexibility is an important part of the success of art therapy within the school. In fact, art therapy is much more than just making nice pictures. It’s about the process of making something the artist is feeling that day rather than building a final product that is all neat and tied together. Adds Spataro, “If a splash of paint is all the student wants for their project, then that works for me. That splash can say a lot.”
Children are naturally drawn to art therapy where their natural language is through art and play. In particular, adolescents are good candidates since they may be resistant to traditional talk therapies. Images often speak louder than words. Art helps bypass defenses seen when verbalizing feelings.
For students like Rayna, art therapy is much more than just a class. “I have a lot of thoughts that I don’t know what to do with, and art allows me to do that.” She gets her creative juices flowing in art therapy, and feels accepted no matter what she creates. But her favorite part is the time spent with her art therapist. “I love to hang out and chat with Ms. Sasha.”
The process varies widely for each individual, so there is no one way to predict the result of each session. Some of the students find they establish a level of trust in the therapeutic relationship, and the art process moves them toward more expressive activity. Others find art is a motivator to complete academics. And students may earn tokens for additional art time as a reward for completing their core class work.
0000“Art is calming when I’m upset,” adds D’Nysha, a student at the Beloit campus. “It really helps me to focus on my school work.” Encouragement by the art therapist and staff, help students self-regulate their feelings, and sometimes that process is through art. “I love art so much that I’ll even create artwork in my classroom just to calm down when I’m upset.”
