Art can be a powerful tool for emotional health and well being. Just ask facilitator Andrea Hawco, who is hosting the Art for Wellness series at the Two Rivers Gallery every Wednesday from Jan. 22 to March 12.
During the program participants 18+ will learn therapeutic art skills to practice personal wellness through creative expression.
Art for Wellness is geared to connect participants to themselves and to build on healthy perspectives. The program introduces various art mediums but is not intended to be an art class.
In February Hawco will complete her Arts Therapy and Expressive Arts studies at the Winnipeg Holistic Expressive Arts Therapy Institute, the WHEAT Institute.
“I came to the program because art helps me express my feelings,” Hawco said.
“I love poetry, I love solution-based arts and I was learning all kinds of cool things and there was a need for programming in Two Rivers Gallery so I approached them about running the program to pair art and wellness and I wanted the title to be clear, Art for Wellness, so there would be no confusion.”
This is not an art class. No artistic talent is required and anyone can join the program.
“As I was going through my program I kinda had to create my own practicum,” Hawco said. “So I was at the Prince George Hospice facilitating their family-centred program and a kids’ drop in program so I was doing art therapy to help children express their grief.”
The Two Rivers Gallery Art for Wellness program is geared for adults.
“The art gallery is quite supportive and they’ve been awesome,” Hawco said.
“Fundamentally when I am creative my brain is solution-based and it reminds me of possibilities. Art for Wellness can be for expression – like processing loss – but there’s also space for dealing with a life crisis or advocacy where you want to put your voice to something. I think there are so many pieces to it. I also think we are the best versions of ourselves when we can express what’s going on for us. I love to provide the Art for Wellness option – the more resources we have in our wellness the more chances to discover what works for us.”
This is the fourth time this program has been offered and the fifth will offer the program to youth.
“Each time the content is different so if people want to do the program again, they can,” Hawco said.
“I want to give people different exposures to expression. Within the expressive arts umbrella I wanted to give people choices within the program so that maybe there’s a week that resonates with them so they can take that away as part of their wellness.”
And if something does not work for the participant, that’s always good information too, Hawco added.
Art has always been a resource for Hawco.
“I was the kid you could always find sketching or writing a poem,” she said. “So without even knowing it I recognized it as a resource for myself.”
Knowing what an impact art had on her wellness, Hawco said she wanted to offer the same opportunity to the residents of Prince George.
“I wanted to make a difference,” Hawco said. “I recognize too that there are so many different resources within the program."
Each session offers a different method of expressing oneself through art including self-reflection with an introduction to journaling, eco art, the art of doodling, spontaneous collage, mindfulness in movement, the inner dialogue, body mapping and sand tray play.
“Wellness is important – we often think of our physical health – but do we think of being well emotionally? The first piece of that is what we have as resources, and what are the things we can access to help us. The piece of giving someone another resource or giving them something that they might not have thought about as a resource I think is pretty amazing.”
Lots of the feedback Hawco gets during and after the sessions are about how people used to do something when they were younger but left it behind as time went by.
“It’s really rewarding to see people reconnect with something they once loved,” Hawco said.
“I’m just guiding them along the way and people are recognizing they can reconnect with art and are now realizing art is a wellness resource for them.”
For more information about the Art for Wellness workshop series, including a series geared toward youth, visit tworiversgallery.ca/programs/art-for-wellness-3/.
