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Show --1 ChROfticlE TtEsdAy, ApRil Paqe Eight 26, 1988 ACCENT Art therapy allows expression craz y Experts use techniques to work with disabled of butterflies he worked with Drachnik-drawin- gs and cloud formations, drawings that expressed By Kelly Hindley Chronicle staff writer Separated, the words suggest a familiar pattern of images. line, form, shape, color. Therapy-healin- g, exploration, learning, self. But spliced together, the words form the name Art-creativ- ity, of a new and unique discipline, one that combines elements of Doth art and psychology. Art that therapy is a form of creative allows people to explore their feelings, problems nd potentials through creating works of visual art. Art therapists, who train in both art and counseling to prepare for their careers, work to proof their mote the healing and self-expressi- on ng clients. "Art taps into something spiritual, something connected to the self," Cathy Malchiodi, director of the University of Utah's art therapy program, said. "Art touches something inside of people Sometimes you can say a lot more through pictures than through words." By helping them create and invent, art thera- pists help their clients form unconscious conflicts, moods, frustrations and problems into tangible pieces of artwork. Art therapists work with people of all ages and populations, including people who have physical and mental handicaps, emotional disabilities, chemical dependencies and terminal diseases, as well as with "normally neurotic" people who are working through personal problems. Although the roots of art therapy reach back to the 19th century, it wasn't until the 1940s that art therapy began to be recognized as a profession, and not until the 1970s that training programs and professional standards were developed. The U. College of Fine Arts began offering a master's degree program in art therapy only two his feelings of both grief and guilt-t- he boy's suppressed feelings were released so they could be recognized and dealt with. Art therapists are concerned with more than just the content of their clients' creative work, and with more than just interpreting the end product, Malchiodi said. Art therapists are also concerned with the process of creating, and with the com- munication and interaction that takes place between therapist and client. 'The object is not to produce fine art, but to have an art experience," Malchiodi said. Although most children dive into art projects with enthusiasm, adults tend to be more cautious in their approach to art, she added. When working with adults, therapists may have their clients begin by cutting pictures out of magazines and forming them into a collage, helping them tap into their creative resources and build their confidence. People who aren't comfortable with the visual arts may find the same kind of release and benefit through music or dance therapy, Malchiodi said. Whenever art is "cut off through violence or lack of funding-- it manages to surface in another form, Malchiodi said. She sees the growth of art therapy in the United States as a sign of art's enduring importance in society, and believes art therapists trained at the U. will have the skills needed to help others express their own feelings, frustrations and abilities through art. years ago. Directed by Malchiodi, five U. graduate students are currently preparing through course-wor- k, research and internships to become registered art therapists. Last Friday afternoon, Kay Drachnik, president of the American Art Therapy Association, visited the U. to speak with art therapy students and to deliver a lecture about the profession to students and faculty from all areas of the university. "It took 17 years from start to finish, but we're Drachnik said about the art finally therapy profession. She noted that art therapists are now working in mental health facilities, medical hospitals and corrections institutions nationwide, and in many states, school districts are hiring art therapists to work with students who have emotional or behavioral problems. To illustrate how art therapy can work to release supressed feelings and frustrations, Drachnik told about a boy she had worked with who had watched his brother drown. "He wasn't allowed to go to the funeral, and the family said to him that he couldn't talk about the death at all," she said. But through the drawings the boy created while When art therapists asked two -- children, "How do you feel today?" they responded by drawing pictures of confusion and anger. Art therapy helps children and adults express hidden feelings and frustrations through art. well-known- ," . 'Justice Downwind' is penetrating look at '50s nuke testing By Andrew Hunt Chronicle Staff Writer Gunnery Range. Between 1951 and 1958,, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) detonated over 100 atmospheric nuclear shots at the Nevada test site. Using charts and maps, Ball shows how radioactive clouds of debris from nuclear tests were caught in winds and blown eastward toward neighboring communities in Nevada, southern Utah and Arizona. Justice Downwind Howard Ball Oxford University Press $8.95 softcover When Justice Downwind was published two years ago, it generated a great deal of controversy. It was one of only a small handful of books published in this country to illustrate the tragic plight of people who lived downwind of the atmospheric nuclear tests during the 1950s. Now, Justice Downwind author Howard Ball, dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences-athe University of has in his book Utah, updated paperback form. Ball's revisions deal mainly with legal developments in the downwinders' plight to receive just compensation from the government. The result is an improvement on an engrossing and tragic book. Justice Downwind begins with a brief history of the development of the atomic bomb. This introduction sets the historical stage for the nuclear tests in Nevada. On Jan. 27, 1951, shortly after President Harry Truman approved a series of domestic nuclear tests, the first atomic bomb was detonated at the Nevada Bombing and t Throughout the 1950s, the AEC went on a full-scal- e propaganda offensive in the downwind communities, g films, books and pamphlets. distributing Ironically, while the tests were going on, many people knew of the radiological hazards that accompanied the atomic testing program, but because of the prevailing Cold War atmosphere, most downwinders supported the tests at first. "Their attitudes about the Cold War and the need for nuclear testing were clear and uniform," Ball writes. "Communism must be stopped, and it was the responsibility of the American government and the people to see that communists were licked." Throughout the first half of Justice Downwind, Ball pro-testin- successfully conveys the Cold War sentiment of the era that enabled the Atomic Energy Commission to detonate atomic weapons and violate the safety of others. The second half of the book is a chilling testament of the horrible of the atomic tests. Ball cites a number of studies, medical records and documents that prove atomic tests ultimately led to increases in different types of cancers, leukemia and delayed radiation illnesses in downwind communities. In 1982, a group of 24 downwinders filed suit against the government. The case was known as Allen v. the United States. In a historic ruling, federal district court Judge Bruce S. Jenkins awarded compensation to 10 out of the 24 plaintiffs. Jenkins' ruling was overturned by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals last year. Ball points to the efforts of the downwinders and Citizens Call, who continue an unsuccessful struggle for after-effec- ts adequate compensation. What separates Justice Downwind from other books on the nuclear tests of the 1950s is Ball's insight into the Cold War and what factors led so many downwinders to blindly accept the Atomic Energy Commission's claims. Justice Downwind is a must for anyone's library. It is carefully researched and penetrating. And most importantly, Ball never loses sight of his subjects: the sorrowful souls who lived downwind of the atomic test site. i L |
