Expressing the Cancer
Experience through Art
"Art therapy uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance physical, mental and emotional well-being. The creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, reduce stress, and increase self-esteem and self-awareness."
- The American Art Therapy Association
Gilda's Club Westchester offers individuals a unique opportunity to express and explore their cancer experience using expressive arts. Not only are these classes an opportunity to learn new skills, they foster an environment for people to build a sense of community and fellowship. The workshops are open to individuals of all creative backgrounds and skill levels.
Throughout life we may experience the loss of dreams, our health and jobs, to name a few. We handle these losses, manage our grief as best we can, and try to move on. Sometimes our sorrow is packed away in the corner of our heart that feels too sore to explore.
Gilda's Club Westchester's classes, which have ranged from Wonderful Watercolors for Wellness to The Mask of Loss explore ways to express the inexpressible in words through art. Attendees have learned how to paint, assemble a photo collage, decorate colorful masks, and more in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. We were even fortunate enough to hold a class at the Clay Art Center of Port Chester. Part of a three-session workshop, people of all ages and experience levels were able to work with professional ceramic artist-teacher and meditation instructor Denis Licul to explore their feelings through the use of clay.
These are just a few of the recent examples of expressive arts workshops we have offered at Gilda's Club Westchester. There will be more workshops coming up this winter and spring, so check our Clubhouse Calendar regularly for new listings.
