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Random Valentines Mail Art, Graduate Presentations, March Introduction to Expressive Arts

Random Valentines Mail Art, Graduate Presentations, March Introduction to Expressive Arts

Experience the Romance of Mail Art this First Friday with Random Valentine’s

Public mail art projects have a long history at the Expressive Arts Institute, with this year being the tenth anniversary of our first Random Valentines Show. Way back in 2006, when the North Park’s original art crawl, Ray @ Night  was in it’s heyday, Donna Otter and I brought the first public mail art show event to the gallery space.  Random Valentines was a hit, and over the course of the evening dozens of randomly directed, mailable works of art were created.

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The Attendees Valentines make a love themed art show for a single night.

For a small donation to cover postage and handling, the cards made by the public are “randomized” and sent through the US mail to the artists. No one knows who will get each card, but every artist is  guaranteed to recieve a valentine in the mail, and to be a part of the night’s instant art show. No experience necessary, fun guaranteed.-Wes Chester, MA, CAGS

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Grad Deb Ogburn, having fun Random Valentine’s style. Come out and enjoy this Friday (experience and significant other not required).

For more information on Random Valentines click here.

Save up to $40 on our Intro to Expressive Arts March 8-9 with our Sweetheart Deal. Info Here.

Graduate Izabella Klein Presents New Work from Hungary at the Annual Alumni Meeting

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Izabella tends the fires in her home city of Budapest, Hungary

Graduate Izabella Klein, from Budapest Hungary came for a visit, and at the Annual Alum Association meeting she presented her work in Hungary since her graduation in 2009.  Her slide show depicted some of her clients and art work from her extensive introduction of Expressive Arts Therapy in and around Budapest, Hungary.  She is the single  Expressive Arts Therapist in Hungary!  Talk about being a pioneer.  She is currently working at Cordelia Foundation with groups of refugees, and at the Kheiron Center for Transpersonal Psychology  with both groups and individual adults.
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Izabella presents her research.

One of the highlights of  her work has been returning to Semmelweis Medical School, where she  got her own medical degree, and offering the expressive arts through the Student Counseling Service. There she conducted formal research on the arts as a barrier to burnout, gaining good results which warrant further research. Her services have also been utilized in  the pediatric department and in the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Departments, using expressive arts therapy to complement the cognitive therapy used there.
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(l-r) Graduate and Practicum Coordinator Anita Carter looks on with current student Rebecca Hickman

Being the lone EXA practitioner in a city, and further, a nation, offers Izabella a chance to work across many populations, and build the reputation of the field in a variety of settings where the arts have not been applied in the past. Through her presence and her ongoing research, Klein hopes to broaden the reach of Expressive Arts Therapy throughout Hungary over time. Iza’s experience continues to confirm  the basic tenets of our field as being cross cultural, and deeply rooted in the human aesthetic experience. Art can help create change  in any culture, but it takes someone like Izabella, who is willing to take a chance and work to change her own country for the better through the arts. Cheers to another success story.You can follow Izabella’s success at her website here: – Judith Greer Essex, Ph.D.

Ongoing at the Institute:

Contemplative Dance Practice with Mary Reich (CDP) Mondays  10:00 – 11:45.
 A dance and meditation practice for anyone who likes to move. Open and free to all Institute students and graduates. Suggested $5 donation/pay what you can for all others. Contact Mary maryreich@me.com for registration.
Grown-up Arts for Change Group: Welcoming Men and Women Over 50
Wednesday Evenings 5:30pm – 8:00pm
Join us to make art and explore the common and the unique themes of adult lives.
Call 619-239-1713  for an interview or email Judith.
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Early Alert: The Expressive Arts Institute Faculty Will Host  The Joy of Embodiment: Inhabiting the Body through Expressive Arts workshop on August 15, 16, 17 2014 Watch Here for more Info