Art Therapy in Museums and Galleries: Reframing Practice

About the Book

This is the first book to explore and evaluate the potential of museum and gallery spaces and partnerships for art therapy.

Showcasing approaches by well-known art therapists, the edited collection contains descriptions of, and reflections on, art therapy in museums and galleries around the globe. Case studies encompass a broad range of client groups, including people with dementia, refugees and clients recovering from substance abuse, exploring the therapeutic skills required to work in these settings. The collection also establishes the context for art therapy in museums and galleries through reviewing key literature and engaging with the latest research, to consider wider perspectives on how these spaces inform therapeutic practice. Offering a comprehensive look at ways in which these locations enable novel and creative therapeutic work, this is an essential book for art therapists, arts and health practitioners and museum professionals.

About the Author :
Ali Coles is an Art Psychotherapist for Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS (National Health Service) Foundation Trust, UK, working with adults with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. She is also a Visiting Lecturer on the MA Art Psychotherapy course at the University of South Wales and an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Art Therapy. Ali co-edited 'Art Therapy in Museums and Galleries - Reframing Practice' with Helen Jury, also published by Jessica Kingsley. Helen Jury is an Art Psychotherapist and Supervisor in Independent Practice, UK, working with adults and children, groups and individuals, clinical training patients and referrals from agencies and organisations, and at University College London (UCL) gathering data for PhD doctoral research. Helen is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Art Therapy. Helen co-edited 'Art Therapy in Museums and Galleries - Reframing Practice' with Ali Coles, also published by Jessica Kingsley.

Review :
Bringing together a range of novel ideas, critical thinking and good practice, this timely book is a must read for art therapists and art psychotherapists, museum professionals and all those interested in the intersections between arts and health. Museums, their collections, spaces and staff offer a vast, often, untapped potential to support professional therapeutic practice; this volume is the first step to realising the multifarious benefits of a closer alignment between museums and art therapy. This timely book highlights the breadth of art therapy and underscores the adaptability and range of skills possessed by art therapists. Coles and Jury's collection of chapters expertly convey the unlimited potential of museums and galleries as optimal places for delivery of art therapy services, toward improved wellbeing and quality of life for as many people as can benefit. At a time when cultural institutions are increasingly open to exploring their social value, this collection of highly original, reflective and beautifully written essays considers the increasingly productive intersection between museums, galleries and art therapy. In doing so, it opens up important new conversations, possibilities and ways of thinking about the museum's capacity to foster human connections, wellbeing and inclusion.