In conjunction with the exhibition The San Quentin Project, two workshops offer artmaking experiences that draw on somatic and expressive arts therapy to explore resilience. Painting can engage people’s innate creativity and capacity to heal through integrating sensory, emotional, and thinking processes in a soothing, exploratory, and enjoyable way.

You are invited to attend one or both workshops. No prior art experience needed.

Workshop I (Oct. 20)
You will first have your hand digitally photographed. Next, some preparatory painting exercises will explore how we visualize connection and choice in our lives. You will then paint on a printed photograph of your hand, expressing your strengths. 

 Workshop II (Nov. 10)
You will be invited to make a collage that suggests resilience in your familial line. It could describe intergenerational connections that are biological or through inspiration.
You are encouraged to bring a family photo or an image of an inspiring person from the past. In response to this collage you’ll make a painting that visualizes the connection with the person(s) portrayed.

 
Dana Dart-McLean is an expressive art therapist and painter currently working in community mental health. Her art has been displayed in galleries and community spaces nationally and internationally. She has also facilitated community art making in museums, schools, prisons, and a public housing project. Her work continually explores the ways creativity and healing overlap for individuals, families, and communities.