BP 1: Reviewing Resources

There are five Blogs that I will be following to help my Action Research requirements as well as developing my personal pedagogy for teaching art. The focus of my research is the use of art as a therapy for individuals recovering from substance abuse. I think that drug addiction is an increasing problem amongst young people. Through my research I hope to prove that art can be used as a successful therapy throughout the recovery process.

http://www.arttherapyblog.com/

This blog focuses on the many different ways that art has been used for therapy. I chose this site because the variety of articles provided. The blog is well organized and has a clear mission to "explore expressive arts as a catalyst for healing & Therapy" The articles provided will contribute to my profession, teaching children art, as well as developing my research goals.

http://www.arttherapy-co.org/ataco/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage

This blog is the home of The Art Therapy Association of Colorado. I do not live or work in this state but I think that this association is exemplary in their attention towards and investment in the field of art therapy. One interesting aspect of this association is that it is primarily represented by professional women; all of the current board members are female. I like the focus on self image. The information provided through this association will contribute to my professional growth as an art teacher as well as contribute to my research on the importance of art therapy.

http://www.casapalmera.com/articles/

This is the site of a rehabilitation center. The articles here will be useful for me to understand the recovery process from drug abuse. I am not a therapist so this information is very useful for me to develop a purpose for implementing art therapy in this type of treatment center.

http://www.ijea.org/

The International Journal of Education & the Arts is an online source of articles from professionals in the field. The mission of this Journal is to create a forum for scholarly conversation about the role of the arts in education. I hope to learn about publishing in the field as well as continue to develop my personal pedagogy for arts education.

http://blog.art21.org/

The art 21 program offers a great resource of contemporary artists biography. Art 21 provides detailed information about artists, their mission, and how that can be applied to education. This program places art making into concept groups like place, time, feelings in order for those studying the artists can understand purpose for making art. This resource is wonderful for art my art class. I can review new artists and keep my curriculum fresh and contemporary. I also think that some of the concepts may be useful in art therapy.