After several very long months of work, I’ve finally completed the first version of my artbook for #WerkInIt. I’m hoping to continue to explore how artistic language can enhance research accessibility, and to continue to present available information on bettering working conditions for Art Therapists and Counselors, and the impacts of ill-advised workplace policies on…
Werk In It: Documentation
When I began to think about art therapists and counselors I wanted to explore the ways that we understand a staff member has been there. While one way of looking at staff is as replaceable or interchangeable, as demonstrated in the rotating vanity, there must be other ways we consider or take note of those…
Werk In It: Shelter
When I began to design this piece of artwork I really wanted to focus on the environment in the participant and art therapist/ counselor work. While the two previous pieces that make up two thirds of the exhibit focus on two interconnected parts of experience, what I’ve been describing thus far is a system in…
Werk In It: Rotation
Artistic Language for the Impact of Therapist Turnover on Therapy Participants How might we consider potential trauma from repeated service interruption? As I explored this question about the impacts of service disruption on therapy participants I found myself attempting to create a metaphor for the experience. As a therapy participant and therapy practitioner I recognize…
#WerkInIt: Sketches
As I began my preliminary inquiry into what research exists regarding therapist turnover and it’s effects on therapeutic outcomes, it became important for me to sketch as I began to get a sense of what information exists. As I explored conceptualizations of workers, and the impacts of systemic turnover I began to think of way…
Graduation Ceremony
Now serving Mermaid Realness. This May I was allowed to participate in a small art-show with my and hood ceremony with my cohort of MAATC (Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling) at SAIC (School of the Art Institute in Chicago). I chose to go in Drag. The performance of graduation ceremonies has no…
Studio Process
For many folx approaching therapy for the first time in life, there is already an idea they have about what counseling or art therapy is. Many who have had negative experiences of therapeutic systems or professionals, are hesitant to return. For those of us living with trauma or living in poverty, we often are navigating…
An Update on Growth
Over the past several years, I have been in the process of graduate school, working toward my Masters Degree in Art Therapy and Counseling. As of December 2019 I will be completing the program at School of the Art Institute in Chicago. I am proud to say that SAIC’s MAATC program is the best in…
Broach
I made this piece of jewelry, a brooch, while thinking about sharp edges and sitting on pins and needles. Art can be comforting and beautiful, but my artwork is often a process of making people uncomfortable. What is it to where discomfort. There are a variety of theories of interpersonal disconnection. Opting out is of…
Finding Family
Finding is a journey. It is being willing to travel across spaces to connect. It is setting aside time to build community. Family is largely what we make it. There is a saying that gets misquoth often; The real phrase is ‘the blood of battle is thicker than the water of the womb’. As a…
Gette Levy 