What Is Art If Not Therapy?

Art therapy changes a life – one picture at a time

Art therapy uses the creative process to provide participants with a safe avenue to explore inner feelings and emotions that are often not easily expressed in words.

The act of creating something artistic develops self-esteem and social skills in a healing atmosphere while improving a quality of life.

The benefits of engaging in a creative activity are well documented as aiding the recovery process and helping participators with mental health challenges to focus, relax and express themselves. Sharing your innermost feelings with others is a truly beautiful thing to do.

Art therapy has been used with everyone from the very young to the elderly, war veterans to prisoners and people with physical disabilities to those with psychological disorders.

“Art is a constant agent of transformation and is indeed the soul’s drive to health,’’ says art therapist Cathy Malchiodi.

Anglicare’s innovative Arts&Minds project is an  opportunity for talented southeast Queensland artists to create and share a work of art to support Anglicare’s mental health initiatives.

Anglicare Southern Queensland has collaborated with the state’s largest billboard and signage company – goa

– to bring about this six-week program. Six finalists will get a day each to create a piece of art that will be watched live via goa’s southeast Queensland digital billboard network and on Anglicare’s social media networks.

The finished artwork will “hang’’ for a week on goa’s billboards and social media where keen art collectors and corporate sponsors will bid on the artwork. The bidding will be tracked live and at the end of each week the highest bidder will win the individual artwork. The process will then be repeated for the next five weeks for the final five artists. The six final artworks will receive widespread exposure when posted on goa’s billboard and social media. The project will culminate in a cocktail fundraising event which will also officially launch Anglicare’s Arts&Minds Exhibition.

The project will raise awareness of and support for Anglicare’s services for people living with mental health challenges. The funds raised will help provide for five of Anglicare’s vital health and wellbeing services to ensure the most vulnerable members of our community do not fall through the cracks.

All finalist artists will have the opportunity to display an additional piece of their artwork at the gala exhibition and will retain the proceeds of any art sold.