Children’s emotional artwork to be displayed at art gallery
Just one work of art at the exhibition is “Hope” (Acrylic on wood). The artist, Sara, writes this statement about the piece: “There are bumps, bruises and scratches but the tree kept growing. There is a period of dark and then there is light surrounding it within the tree’s rings. The dark is different on each wood slice. There is hope because even though it went through all this, it still kept growing.”
By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula
Art is at its core an outlet for emotions, positive and negative, big and small, and everything in between. Artistic expression can also be a therapeutic method encouraging emotional growth in children, helping them heal from abuse and trauma.
All artwork featured in “Flow: Images of Growth and Movement” was created by children served by the Phoenix Center in Marble Falls, and will be displayed in an exhibition at Marta Stafford Fine Art Gallery on Main Street.
The Phoenix Center provides free or low-cost therapy services for Hill Country children and art therapy has been used since the center was founded in 2007.
“Art and music are part of the human experience, so we’re naturally drawn to expression in these ways,” said Sarah R. Garrett, founder and executive director of the Phoenix Center and Camp Phoenix.
Marta Stafford hosted a similar reception for Phoenix Center artists at the inaugural event last year. “Marta [Stafford] has been so supportive of our mission and this project,” Garrett said.
Art as therapy
Art has therapeutic applications across a myriad of populations, but it is an especially “natural fit for children,” Garrett said. “Art becomes their words,” which often do not come easily for children dealing with trauma or abuse.
The silent art auction on the collaborative artworks will take place Tuesday, July 14- Friday, July 17. The silent auction will close at 7:45 p.m. July 17.
The reception, free and open to the public, will be at Marta Stafford Fine Art gallery at 200 Main Street, Marble Falls, from 6-8 p.m., Friday, July 17.
For more information about Phoenix Center programs and how to help, visit www.phoenixcentertexas.org, email sarah@phoenixcentertexas.org, or call 830-637-7848.
For more on this story, see Tuesday's Highlander.
