This book offers new definitions, vocabularies and insights for “scribbling”, viewing it as a fascinating and revealing process shared by many different disciplines and practices. The book provides a fresh and timely perspective on the nature of mark making and the persistence of the gestural impulse from the earliest graphic marks to the most sophisticated artistic production. The typical treatment of scribbling in the literature of artistic development has cast the practice as a prelude to representation in drawing and writing, with only occasional acknowledgment of the continuing joy and experiment of making marks across many arts practices. The continuous line the author traces between the universal practice of scribbling in infancy and early childhood and the work of radical creativity for contemporary and historical artists is original and clarifying, expanding the range of drawing behaviors to that of avant-garde painters, performance and the digital.

This book provides a revitalised account of the study of children’s drawing by outlining a departure from existing approaches privileging developmentalist accounts and presenting drawing as a specialised human endeavour separated from other material entanglements constituting children’s everyday experiences. The book takes on current developments in the fields of early childhood arts and early childhood literacies to advocate for process-oriented, new materialist and decolonial approaches that re-conceptualise the study of children’s drawing. It proposes a future-oriented approach, centred on thinking experimentally with a focus on nonrepresentational elements, such as movement, sensation, intensity, rhythm, story and place, which singularly assemble in drawing events. Thus, the book discusses drawing as a process of sense-making that is not enclosed in the individualised body of the child and that unfolds corporeally in time and space. It revises the relation of drawing with symbolisation by suggesting that the use of language and signs in drawing form in entanglement with matter and sensation in processes of creative speculation connected with the movement of thought. Presenting a series of contributions by internationally recognised scholars and artists, the book aims to create synergies between theory and practice that speak of everyday realities interconnecting children, learning and sense-making.

Includes contributions from major public agencies for child care: health, education, and social services Covers areas of public concern such as child abuse and racial discrimination Gives examples of using different art media, for example, photography, to explore symbolic material All case material illustrated in colour and black and white.

Proulx explores many aspects of dyad art therapy including attachment relationship theories, roles in dyad interventions, the importance of the tactile experience and ways in which dyad art therapy can be used. This original book will be invaluable to mental health professionals and to parents wishing to enrich interactions with their children.

From the creator of the bestselling Anti-Coloring Book series with more than 600,000 copies sold, a new parenting guide to encouraging creativity in preschool-age children Young at Art is the first and only comprehensive book for the general audience about the nature, value and impact of art on very young children. Directed towards parents and educators of one to five year olds, Susan Striker explains why children's art is not a frill, but the very foundation upon which all later fundamental skills are built. She drives home the idea that encouraging children's artistic growth will have beneficial effects on all other aspects of their emotional and intellectual development. At the core of this practical guide is the understanding that art is an important tool in teaching young children crucial concepts related to self-expression, reading and writing. As opposed to more structured exercises, such as coloring on dittos and underlining pictures in workbooks, Striker stresses that scribbling and free drawing experiments are the most important art activities a child can engage in; they better prepare children to read independently as they grow. Young at Art provides descriptions for age-appropriate art activities, tips for carrying them out safely, and helps parents recognize what a child's art work should look like at each stage of development. With Young at Art, parents will develop realistic expectations of their children's work, learn how to speak to their children about their art, and facilitate skills well beyond their creativity that will benefit children.

Assessment in Art Therapy gives a unique insight into the diverse contemporary practices that constitute assessment in art therapy, providing an overview of the different approaches employed in Britain and the USA today. This professional handbook comprises three parts. 'Sitting Beside' explores the discursive and the relational in art therapy assessments with adults and children in different settings. 'Snapshots from the Field' presents a series of short, practice-based reports which describe art therapists working in private practice, secure settings and community mental health centres. 'A More Distant Calculation' consists of chapters that describe the development and use of different kinds of art-based assessment procedures developed on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as different kinds of research about art therapy assessment. Both students and practitioners alike will benefit from the wealth of experience presented in this book, which demonstrates how art therapists think about assessment; the difficulties that arise in art therapy assessment; and the importance of developing the theory and practice of art therapy assessment, whilst taking into account the changing demands of systems and institutions.

This new edition brings together the varied theoretical approaches to art therapy and provides a variety of solutions to the challenge of translating theory into technique. In each chapter, contributors provide a definition of and orientation to the specific area of emphasis, showing its relevance to art therapy. Clinical examples and nearly 100 illustrations are employed as the authors present the creative and effective treatment of patients. (Midwest).

Whether working in urban areas with high levels of cultural diversity, providing art therapy to 'unique' populations such as prisoners or asylums seekers, or introducing art therapy programs to parts of the world in which it is not yet established, it is essential that therapists understand the importance of practicing in a culturally sensitive manner. This comprehensive book considers how culture impacts the practice of art therapy in a variety of settings. With contributions from experienced art therapists who have worked in diverse environments, this book attempts to understand and highlight the specific cultural, subcultural and ethnic influences that inform art therapy treatment. It addresses variable factors including setting, population, environment and ability, and how they influence art therapy approaches. It also considers how cultural differences can impact physical art making through choices of color, symbol and metaphor. Each chapter provides a framework showing how art therapy techniques have been used in order to successfully work with distinct populations. This book will provide practitioners with ideas for how to adapt art therapy training and approaches to suit the setting and meet the needs of a vast range of populations. Full of informative case studies, this book will be invaluable reading for art therapists and students of art therapy.

Experience the wonder of child prodigy Akiane Kramarik’s divinely inspired artwork firsthand. Akiane’s nonreligious parents were bewildered when their four-year-old daughter started sharing her dreams of angels, heaven, and Jesus. Her spiritual insight quickly expressed itself through impressive sketches, drawings with oil crayons, paintings, and eventually poetry, and her artwork began a conversation that brought her whole family to Christianity and to the attention of national media. Akiane: Her Life, Her Art, Her Poetry shares the young artist’s story in rich detail, including her mother’s firsthand account of Akiane’s emerging faith and artistic talent; a collection of full-color paintings created by Akiane from ages 4 to 10, along with the amazing stories that surround each piece of art; and selected poems of profound beauty and insight, authored by Akiane in her childhood. This book will encourage any who believe in the spiritual nature of art and reinvigorate the faith of those who call Jesus their savior.