Expressive Arts Studio:
A workshop series for young adults with cancer
Psychosocial Oncology Rounds, November 20, 2014
Presenter:
Catherine Dunlop, Ph.D., DVATI, Art Therapist
BC Cancer Agency
Overview
Background
Approach
Sessions
Participants Perspective
What’s Next
Background
• History of arts-based support
groups for young adults at BCCA
(VCC, VIC)
• Spring 2014 group
• Donation
• Proposal / Plan
Approach
• Parameters:
– Young adults with cancer
– Arts-based
– VCC
• Build on and expand the current model by:
– including all the expressive arts (not just visual art)
– by inviting Guest Artists from each modality (one each week) to lead
a hands-on studio exploration focusing on creative expression and
the cancer journey (studio format, not support group)
Approach
Goals:
• To provide a safe space for young adults with cancer to learn from and
support each other (experiential, supportive)
• To provide a forum for sharing information on how creative expression
can help with the cancer journey (reduce stress and anxiety, help with
coping, reduce pain, discover inner strengths, increase creative
inspiration, provide a container for emotions that are difficult to express
in words, and improve quality of life) (educational, supportive)
• To provide an opportunity for participants (patients) to experience
creative expression in each arts-based modality, in a studio format, with
the guidance of a guest artist and the BCCA Art Therapist (experiential,
supportive)
Approach
Framework:
• Expressive Arts Modalities: poetry, sculpture, photography,
painting, songwriting, and African drumming
• Guest Artists: active artists selected by committee (G. Mackenzie, S.
Sample, and C. Dunlop) and approached individually (C. Dunlop)
• Sessions: 6 sessions, 2 hours/session, once per week for 6 weeks
(Mondays, 4:30-6:30pm)
• Facilitation: BCCA Art Therapist (C. Dunlop) facilitated all six sessions;
guest artists from each modality led the studio exploration component
Approach
Framework:
• Target Audience: BCCA-registered young adults with cancer (19-40);
they may be pre-treatment, in treatment, or post-treatment; prescreening interview to ensure appropriate fit conducted by BCCA Art
Therapist (support persons, and staff also attended)
• Promotion Plan: posters onsite, announcement on BCCA website
(Emotional Support – Vancouver groups), distribution among BCCA staff,
community organizations
• Registration: Required. Recommended that participants attend all the
sessions, if possible
• Group Size: 7 – 15 participants
Sessions
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Poetry
Sculpture
Photography
Painting
Songwriting
African Drumming
Sessions: Poetry
Scott Ramsay
•
Scott Ramsay was twice long-listed
for the CBC Writes’ competition,
long-listed for Arc poem of the year,
and was a finalist for both PRISM's
poem of the year award and Quills’
poem of the year. He also was part
of The Blackletter Ballads published
by Swamp Lantern Books. He can
be heard on Wax Poetic (Coop
Radio).
http://www.coopradio.org/content/waxpoetic-192
Sessions: Poetry
What is poetry…?
Structure of poems (AA BB CC DD)
Poetry “Olympics”
Finding the sacred/stories/seeds of poems (stream
of consciousness writing)
• Charles Bukowski, Maya Angelou
• Activity
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Sessions: Poetry
Bluebird
By Charles Bukowski
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and
inhale cigarette smoke
and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that he’s
in there.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
do you want to
mess me up?
you want to screw up the works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him
out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t’ be
sad.
Then I put him back,
But he’s singing a little
In there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with out secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?
Sessions: Poetry
Bluebird
By Charles Bukowski
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and
inhale cigarette smoke
and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that he’s
in there.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
do you want to
mess me up?
you want to screw up the works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him
out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t’ be
sad.
Then I put him back,
But he’s singing a little
In there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with out secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?
Sessions: Sculpture
April Davis
•
April Davis is a practicing artist and
art educator. She studied at the
Alberta Collage of Art and Design
and at Emily Carr University where
she received the Governor General’s
Award. April believes that through
an appreciation of art and
participation in the creative process
we become more aware of ourselves
and the world around us. She loves
to share in this experience with
others through her teaching. April
instructs the School Program and
courses for home learners at the
Surrey Art Gallery.
Sessions: Sculpture
• Working with clay
• All tools and materials provided (Surrey Art Gallery)
• Making clay masks – Animals (link to Bluebird
poem)
• “Art Show”
Sessions: Photography
Scott Ramsay
•
Scott Ramsay’s photos, which can
be seen at his website:
www.scottworks.ca
have been exhibited in Vancouver at
The Whip; 6 Acres; Twigg and
Hottie; and Portobello West Market.
He has also shown his photos in
Arles, France, and Bielsko Biala,
Poland.
Sessions: Photography
• What is photography…?
• Goals for session:
– see beauty and sacred moments every day
– Have a better eye to capture those moments
Sessions: Photography
• Pointers
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Rule of thirds
Leading lines
Move to get a better shot
Framing
Colour
Perspective
Shoot small things
Patterns
Story
Repetition
Sessions: Painting
Bev Gray
•
Bev Gray is a Winnipeg-based artist
and early childhood educator. For
the past six years she has
facilitated ‘Art in the Kitchen’, a
weekly art class designed to allow
another form of communication and
emotional outlet for the adult
participants of Wolseley Family
Place in Winnipeg. She is also
preparing work for a December
2014 show where she will channel
interior reflections of weather to
discuss the unease of climate
change. Bev has used a wide
variety of media to create her art
over the years from snow to pencil
and paint and most recently to
fabric.
Sessions: Painting
Mural
Sessions: Photography
• We are all artists – be gentle with yourself
• Materials are all around – opportunity for delight
• Listen to what needs to come out – your visual
language and themes are there
Sessions: Painting
Materials
Sessions: Painting
Sessions: Songwriting
Claire Mortifee
•
What separates a singer from a soul
singer? It’s a tough question, but
Canadian songstress Claire Mortifee
sheds light on the answer with an
undeniable musical prowess, a
socially conscious lifestyle, and a
message of healing and self-love that
emanates through her work. As a
vocalist, songwriter, and multiinstrumentalist this 22-year old
Vancouver native resonates with
authenticity. Her refined vocal ability,
radiant stage presence, and lyrical
honesty combine colorful poetics
with universal life lessons. Claire
Mortifee is a soul singer.
Sessions: Songwriting
Benefits of expression through music and song
Throat – between the head and heart
Structure of a song (verse, chorus, bridge)
Claire sang one of her songs for us (demonstrating
structure/lyrics)
• Creating lyrics (bubbles - activity)
• Claire played melodies for freshly created lyrics and
sang those songs for us – on the spot!
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Sessions: African Drumming
Lyle Povah
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Lyle Povah leads African drumming
and music events worldwide,
offering programs in hospital,
conference, child and adult mental
health, corporate, corrections and
community settings. He is a
musician/educator, drum circle
facilitator, writer, researcher, and
children's entertainer, with
particular interest in health and
wellness, intergenerational learning,
spirituality, psychiatric and eating
disorders, youth-at-risk, and autism.
Lyle runs ongoing programs at the
Haven, BC Children's Hospital, St.
Paul's Hospital, and the UBC Sauder
School of Business.
Sessions: African Drumming
Sessions: African Drumming
• Variety of activities with variety of rhythm
instruments (eggs, boomwhackers, drums)
• Teams/groups making different rhythms
• Discussion interspersed with themes of self-care,
expression of emotions (anger, joy…)
• Drumming circle (two people lying on mats in the
middle)
What’s Next
• Another series will be offered in 2015 – open
to all BCCA patients at the VCC
• Document/video the 2015 series
• Create an online “workshop” for people to
access from anywhere (using video excerpts
and added narrative)
• Explore models for other centres (one day
format?)
Participants Perspective
• It was great – I had a chance to get in touch with my
emotions and release tough feelings.
• Loved the variety of the classes.
• Enjoyed trying new things, stimulating my mind, having time
to relax, participate in an activity to distract my worrying.
Taught me to not over think things and to live in the present
moment.
• Enjoyed learning about different types of art forms and
challenging myself to try something new.
• Suggestions: longer program; something on an ongoing
basis; just spread the word.