Alumni Highlights
Jennifer Albright- Class of 2020
Education and training in the fields of counseling and art therapy has prepared me to help clients acknowledge and understand strong, often uncomfortable emotions. However, I am not exempt from facing confusion and misunderstanding when it comes to my own emotions. My own experiences in therapy, thought provoking classes and assignments, and ongoing use of art as an exploratory tool have been helpful to me in identifying my feelings and regulating my moods.
These small gouache paintings represent the personification of certain emotions, how they manifest, and what bodily sensations accompany them. “Despair describes the feeling of weight pulling one down with heavy, plodding footsteps and drooping arms. Joy on the other hand, is akin to a buoyant, swelling, upward expansion In both paintings the center of the emotion is contained in the chest which have identified as the place in my body where my emotions reside.
The exercise of creating visual personifications of our feelings can be helpful to both ourselves and our clients. Having found greater understanding of how I react and behave when in the grip of anger or despair, for sample, has been beneficial in my personal well-being and relationships. It is a good reminder as well, that even as I move forward to heloothers as a counselor and art therapist, I am still a work in progress when it comes to my own self-growth
Courtney Coolbaugh Class of 2020
I enjoy creating artwork about personal transformation and recovery. Using oil paint and a palette knife, I build layers of texture and color on a smooth glass surface. Years ago, I had created a series of self-portraits on black glass when a precariously hung painting came crashing to the studio floor and shattered into pieces. I glued every piece back down. Paying careful attention to how the cracks in the original image became an integral part of the new whole. Taking the time to reconstruct what has been broken highlights the process of transformation. After interning with clients who found the addition of inspirational quotes and positive affirmations to be cathartic when making art about recovery! was inspired to begin adding quotes to my own artwork. The abstracted background of photo emulsion transfers and spray paint provides a celestial backdrop of serenity Especially now. during our increasingly volatile political climate, it is important that we believe that nothing (and no one) is too far broken or damaged to be put back together again. If we take the time to honor every piece of the whole, we can create something beautiful, new, evolved, and complete.
https://www.facebook.com/Splendid Pieces
Despite unprecedented times, Caldwell University’s Masters in Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy program saw its largest graduating class to date. Graduates from the program take with them a deep understanding of the importance of the creative process and the innate therapeutic value of the arts. Many graduates maintain a strong personal connection to their identity as an artist and commit fully to the time and energy needed to engage in art. The CU Art Therapy Gallery is honored to show the work of recent graduates Jennifer Albright and Courtney Coolbaugh
Congratulations to all our recent graduates, keep creating!
Rebecca Colson, Alexa Perillo, Kaitlyn Teeling, Marlaina Etheridge, Jen Albright, Allyson Bales, Morgan DeGllio, Masha Schwalbe, Gillian Marisa Juliano. Chelsea Darling. Leila Farahani, Genaya Palmer, Anna Jones-Lofton, Courtney Medina, Alyssa Udijohn, Amanda Bitterm Jessica Garrett, Sharon Shur, Nicole Drzewinski, Bailey Marcucci, Francesca Russo, Courtney Coolbaugh, Brittany Barnstead, Danielle Black, Laura Rasmussen, Lydia Fulton