Star Center was a recipient of a Jackson Arts Council 2019-2020 Grant for the project “Art of Eden,” which provided art therapy services with art therapist, Sarah Hamil, to the girls at Eden of YouthTown. The art will be showcased on a Facebook Livestream June 30th and will stay on display at the Greyhound Bus Station on E. Main St. until July 7th for public viewing. Paige Bledsoe, director of Eden, says of the sessions, “We have already seen the positive impact that the arts can have on treating addiction, trauma, and co-occurring disorders….We believe the arts can help young women realize self-confidence, worth, and life goals as they push themselves to accomplish what they did not believe possible.” The art pictured below represents three different art directives: re”framing” identity, mask-making for internal and external self-expression, and painting vibrant colors on canvas to foster hope and belonging.
“I Am a Work of Art” Portraits
Frame-paper used to invite creating a work of art that portrays identity in recovery.
Participants created a work of art that reflects unique qualities and strengths
Qualities of the art are then described verbally in words or phrases
‘I am’ statements with the words and phrases elicited by the art are used to create a poem about strengths and uniqueness
Mask Making in Art Therapy
Mask-making promotes an exploration into different aspects of self and experiences – internal and external.
Art materials are used to create masks that express ideas about self, identity, and experiences
The imagination is activated to support a safe reflection about personal resources and strengths to promote resiliency
Participants engage in this creative form to build skills in communication and self-expression
The masks represent narratives about identity and experiences
Hope & Belonging Paintings
Painting with vibrant colors on canvas engages the participants to foster a sense of hope and belonging within themselves.
Painting was used to express positive emotions through symbolism as a support for feeling a sense of self-safety and balance
The group shared ideas about personal styles and new perspectives in coping through self-expression
The primary objective of this art therapy session was to establish hopeful thoughts and images as a resource for responding to stressful circumstances
Identify and express distinct personal resources for coping with challenges
Star Center Music Therapist, Katlin Ross, also led Eden residents in Music Therapy sessions, using music as a creative outlet to address similar goals. Sessions often include verbal or instrumental check-ins, lyric analysis, group discussion, rewriting a familiar song to match personal expression, and cut-and-paste poetry with lyrics from a collection of familiar songs. Below are two group Music Therapy projects put together by the artists featured in this gallery.
Song Rewrite
Rewrite of “Fight Song,” originally by Rachel Platten. Vocals, guitar, and mixing by Katlin Ross, MT-BC.
The residents worked together in rewriting the song “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten over the span of 3 sessions. Each resident had the opportunity to express their opinion or thoughts and then vote on the final decision. The group created a song that expressed their current outlook on their life and motivation to continue moving forward. This music intervention worked towards establishing a creative outlet, increase self-esteem and self-expression, group cohesion, and awareness of self and others.
Cut & Paste Poetry
Each resident selected a song they find motivating and encouraging during their journey of recovery. In the first session, the residents listened to each other’s song, participated in a brief song discussion, and identified the lyrics that encouraged them the most. In the second session, the residents took each group member’s lyrics and transformed them into a poem. This music intervention worked towards group cohesion, self-expression, and awareness of self and others.
Online Gallery
Below is a self-guided gallery which includes individual images of each piece of art as well as quotes from the artists about their own creations. To view the art in person, the window gallery is currently located at the Greyhound Station in downtown Jackson (407 E. Main St., Jackson, TN, 38301) now through July 7th. A live tour, including interviews with the therapists, is also posted on Star Center’s Facebook page and the Facebook event page for Art of Eden: https://facebook.com/events/s/art-of-eden-window-gallery/3060720587307297/?ti=icl. Please check-in and comment so we know you visited!
Special Thanks to YouthTown, Jackson Arts Council, John H. Allen Company, Inc., and RIFA for providing the means, space, and easels for the in-person gallery. Contact Star Center for more information on Art and Music Therapy services. 731.668.3888 or info@star-center.org
Each color is for how I feel. Splatter red is for the loss of blood. I can be full of colors and be happy but I am crying on the inside.
This mask is an example of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting Starry Night. I chose to paint this because I can relate to Van Gogh. No one understood how he saw things. The mask shows that different views can be beautiful.
Hope. Meaningful. Loving. Caring. Role Model. Siblings. Loyalty. Faithful. Artist.