MAATC Exhibition
January 24–31, 2025
SAIC GALLERIES, 33 E. WASHINGTON ST.
RECEPTION: January 25, 12:00–5:00PM
January 24–31, 2025
SAIC GALLERIES, 33 E. WASHINGTON ST.
RECEPTION: January 25, 12:00–5:00PM
The Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling (MAATC) Exhibition has become a distinguished tradition within SAIC community since its inception, rooted in the understanding that contemporary artistic expression and mental health methodology is an inextricably linked praxis.
Within this synergetic tradition, participating students are invited to explore, reflect, and integrate their experiences from their time at SAIC and in the broader community—all of which are informed by coursework, fieldwork, arts-based research methodologies, and their personal artistic practices.
This iteration of the MAATC Exhibition invites you to immerse yourself in themes of resilience, vulnerability, personal struggle, healing, and social justice, in addition to prompting introspection about the relationship between knowledge and knowing. Through artistic expression and journeys of self-discovery, these artists share their unique perspectives, using creative practice as a catalyst for change within themselves and beyond.
This exhibition allows us to bear witness to the profound insights and understandings that these emerging professionals have gained as they continue to evolve, transcend boundaries, challenge paradigms, and offer their innovative insights on the complexities of humanity, all while striving for societal change.
As witnesses, we observe their journey—an exploration driven by a quest for understanding and an ongoing commitment to transformation. We extend our deepest gratitude to these exceptionally dedicated and talented individuals, whose artistic expressions invite us to look inward, cultivate empathy, and inspire our own evolution.
Special thanks to all the faculty in the MAATC program for their support and commitment to this exhibition.
The MAATC Exhibition 2025 was organized by Alumni Producer Corbly Brockman (MAATC, 2024) and Graduate Curatorial Assistant Caro Aceves (MFA, 2026).
Miriam Lee Wright – We the Helpers – January 25 2025 – 2:00 PM
Description: This collaborative and sculptural performance piece explores the metaphors of weaving and mending, intertwining intuition to imagine new ways of being and serving others as ‘helpers’. Centering collective care, we explore the sources we can draw from to create our own collaborative best practices, informed by the ways our experiences and resources allow us to care for one another in radical ways.
Daniel Benedum – Between Certainty and Curiosity Examining aesthetic dimensions in Art Therapy – January 28 2025 – 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Description: The profession of art therapy was started by various individuals working with art in relation to community and individual mental health. As the field of art therapy developed specific ethics surrounding the use of client art emerged. This panel discussion will complicate the idea of what is and what is not client art by considering when do art materials used in art therapy spaces become client art.
The annual MAATC Exhibition presents the artwork and practices of students graduating with a Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling. The educational aim of this exhibition is to provide an opportunity for students to present their own individual lived practices and collaboratively examine the clinical, ethical, and aesthetic implications of presenting the profession of art therapy through an exhibition. Deeply reflective and inquisitive, the artists present a multitude of approaches, exemplifying the program’s philosophy of integrating the emergent artist-art-therapist identity. For more information about the program, visit saic.edu/arttherapy.
Alumni Producer: Corbly Brockman (MAATC, 2024)
Graduate Curatorial Assistant: Caro Aceves (MFA, 2026)