The PBHS Wellness Club and Art Club had a joint meeting recently to do some art therapy. Kristin Raucci, who guides the Wellness Club, and Janice Barth, the lead for the Art Club, brought their students together for a lesson in art therapy. In this class, the large group used clay to make individual pinch pots that will eventually become planters.

 

What exactly is art therapy? According to the American Art Therapy Association, the experience of art therapy is something that engages the mind, body and spirit. It allows people to express themselves and understand feelings in a different way than talk therapy does. Art therapy can be done in many forms, including dance, drama, music and more. Today, the medium was clay.

Ms. Barth explained how to work with clay to get rid of air in it, how to smooth it and roll it and to create the pinch pot. The students were extremely creative! They used utensils to decorate their pots.

 

 

Next up, Ms. Barth will fire the pinch pots for the first time. The clubs will meet again in a couple of weeks to glaze them. Then the pots will be fired a second time before the students plant in them.

It’s such a terrific combination, art and therapy, with beautiful outcomes – wellness and unique art.