Art from the Hands of Helpers: A Graduate Show for the Expressive Arts Institute Looms.

The end of a graduate education marks the end of being a student, and the beginning of a new, or vastly changed professional life. Institute graduates will proceed into the education and the helping professions, working with students or seniors, veterans or homeless youth, those suffering from profound mental illness, or those in search of  help with creativity, relationship woes, or anxieties.

But before we move into that new era in the life-work, there is a time to pause and reflect on the remarkable journey of education and artistry that these remarkable women have taken. We could look at the efforts in practicum sites, learning to apply the learning. We could look at theoretical papers and artful presentations. But in a school that has a primary mission of teaching professionals to help through the arts, the art the students have made is a singular document, of personal progress, growth, exploration and change.   

The works in this show reflect the best of a process of self exploration that all artist helpers go through. They run the range from revealing and playful, to heavy and heart felt, and all are documents of change, growth and exploration.

New works from the Graduating Class of 2013 will be on Display at the Martha Pace Swift Gallery, opening on March 3rd, from 5pm-8pm.  Come meet the graduates, and their works on any first Friday.

-Wes Chester- Curator