Scott Brooks touched a paintbrush for the first time three years ago. He came into Passion Works Studio with no art experience and no idea of what to expect.
What Brooks, who goes by Scooter, found was a supportive community that gave him a chance he never had before — the opportunity to be an artist.
According to a February 2010 study published by the American Public Health Association, art therapy has been used by many cultures throughout history. Art therapy has many uses, but there is little statistical data to back up the benefits people say they experience.
Despite that lack of evidence, many Ohio University students and Athens community members utilize art therapy to improve their physical and mental states.
A creative outlet
Art therapy is a process in which individuals with disabilities practice art to express themselves in a way they may be unable to do with words, according to the American Art Therapy Association. Practices can help individuals cope with anxiety and depression, and it can give artists a sense of belonging.
Passion Works, 20 E State St., welcomes individuals with and without disabilities to work in the studio. If someone comes in with no artistic experience, as was the case with Brooks, Passion Works has employees and volunteers available to help individuals and teach them different artistic techniques.
Mallory Valentour, resident artist and production coordinator at Passion Works, has been producing art for much of her life. She’s been at Passion Works for about four years, guiding individuals through the artistic process. She said it doesn’t matter what the artists make, just that they are taking an active role and working toward a goal.
Valentour has been involved with the organization since long before she started working there. She started as a volunteer and eventually interned there in college before becoming a staff member.
“I can remember walking into the first shop (Passion Works) had,” Valentour said. “The walls were decked out with flowers and I was like, ‘This is awesome. This is like Wonderland.’”
OU offers a major in music therapy, but there is no specific art therapy program. In general, art therapy is only offered as a major at small schools with a strong focus on the arts or as a graduate program. In Ohio, Ursuline College and Capital University offer art therapy majors, while Univer
Kayla Zehner, a freshman studying studio art, originally wanted to be an art therapy major. She was disappointed when she learned OU didn’t offer an art therapy program. Despite the option given, students have to create their own majors, Zehner believed that wasn’t the right choice for her.
“You can create your own major, but it’s not the same as going to a place with that program,” she said. “I would love it if we had (an art therapy) major… and (I know) lots of people that would love that also.”
Different methods for different people
Art helps Brooks stay calm, he said. Some days, he comes in with a lot on his mind and feels overwhelmed. The routine of picking something to translate to canvas, sketching the design and beginning to paint helps him to relax.
Owens has been painting since she was young. However, she recently started making bath bombs and, since coming to college, started knitting. She finds creating things, especially painting, relieves stress like nothing else can.
“It’s like a cleansing thing,” she said. “I feel like it gets everything out. It’s like you’re putting your emotions on the paper.”
Demetri Wolfe, an undecided sophomore, uses a different kind of art for therapy. He listens to, plays and writes music.
“(Music) is just a way for me to focus all of my energy on to something else,” he said.
Before coming to school, he mostly listened to music when social interactions became too stressful. Now, he said, he needs it to calm the stresses of classwork.
“Playing is for the release of the intense stress when classes become unbearable,” he said. “One of my main releases … is playing on Court Street (on) Friday nights with my electric guitar.”
Art in Athens
Places like Passion Works are known as day rehabilitation centers, or “day-hab” for short. Facilities like it are located all over the area and can really make a difference for people.
Brooks couldn’t imagine doing art anywhere else. He loves Passion Works and everyone who helps and works there.
He has been coming to Passion Works every Monday and Tuesday for three years, and his friends at the studio say his abilities have improved tremendously since he started coming. He completes about one to two pieces a month, and that is not including the collaborative pieces he has worked on.
David Dewey, another artist at Passion Works, has limited mobility in his hands. He mostly participates in group art pieces because his limited mobility prevents him from completing full pieces like the ones he made when he originally started art therapy. Originally, he was a skilled drawer. Now, he is unable to draw anything precise. His friends at Passion Works devised a way for him to still work on his art even with the deterioration in his mobility.
He has tools adapted specifically to fit into his hands to move with his body and help account for his dexterity. Painting requires less precise markings and allows Dewey to continue using art for therapy.
Athens Photographic Project is another organization that utilizes art therapy. The organization differs from Passion Works in that its primary art form is photography rather than painting, drawing and sculpture. Athens Photographic Project focuses on using photography to help individuals that battle mental illnesses. They create a safe place for people to explore their creativity through photos.
Nate Thomson, executive director of the Athens Photographic Project, said they focus on helping individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses cast their diagnosis aside. He said people can sometimes become fixated on their diagnosis, and it can lead people to have negative thoughts and isolate themselves.
Athens Photographic Project brings community members together to help them rebuild a sense of community through photography. They can take thirty-week classes, attending two days a week, with a group.
The group shares their art with each other, and at the end of the thirty weeks, artists can share their works in juried exhibitions. Thomson said sharing of art and displaying photos differs from traditional art therapy in that it is less private, and being public is what helps the individuals throw off their diagnosis labels and embrace their differences.
“Having public exhibitions, that’s where artists come out about their identity,” Thomson said. “They’re raising awareness of mental health and changing the culture of (it) ... they’re changing the stigma.”
