School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Alone & Not Alone,” an exhibition of multimedia artworks by MPS Art Therapy students and the people they work with at their internship sites. Curated by Liz DelliCarpini, department internship coordinator and adjunct faculty member, the exhibition will be on view from Saturday, February 13, through Saturday, March 13, at galleries.sva.edu.

During these challenging times of being “alone and not alone,” the artists seek to center the lived experience of people who confront social oppression and create restorative relationships in virtual and in-person spaces. Your involvement is viewed as a key aspect of community-based art therapy practice: creating opportunities for people to contribute, gain recognition and receive social support within our collective community. The therapeutic goals of “Alone & Not Alone” are to bring us together in ways that acknowledge and respect our differences.

MPS Art Therapy is an immersive two-year, 60-credit program that prepares students to become licensed, credentialed art therapists. It integrates the experiential components of art therapy within a comprehensive framework of academic theory, clinical application via an internship program, and art practice. Students learn to adapt the creative process to the specific therapeutic needs of the individual, population and setting, with a consideration of how systems of theoretical and social constructs impact treatment. SVA believes in active engagement with the community at large, which allows for utilization of the diverse, innovative, creative atmosphere of New York City and beyond to enhance training.

Image credit: Ella Hilsenrath, Bird on a Wire, 2021, Mixed media, 7 x 12 x 1 inches