Therapeutic art at Gilda’s Club provides a space for creativity and wellness
“I never thought of myself as an artist. It was never a part of my identity. But it is now,” shares Lyn, a regular attendee of therapeutic art at Gilda’s Club.
Lyn heard the words “you have cancer” in March 2019. At the time, she’d been working as a reporter for 40 years, but the toll of treatment led her to retiring earlier than she’d planned. The sudden major changes in her life led to her asking, “What am I now?”
That question led her to Gilda’s Club. Right as she was starting to get involved, the pandemic hit. Thankfully, programming was quickly made virtual. “Gilda’s got extremely creative in how they offered opportunities,” she remembers. “That was how I first experienced art therapy- via Zoom.”
Art therapy for wellness
Now, Lyn attends the in-person therapeutic art classes most Tuesdays. She joins a crew of both regular attendees and new folks, who gather together to explore their creative side.
The group is led by Molly Linn-Miller, who has been a registered art therapist for 15 years. “The main reason for therapeutic art is that we help people stay healthy and well,” she explains. “It’s all about wellness.”
Unlike traditional art classes, therapeutic art takes an individual approach. “I like people to be able to create something unique. No one leaves with the same thing,” Molly shares. People often come to the classes saying, “I’m not artistic,” but they are able to discover the unique artist within, feeling a sense of pride around what they’ve created.
Molly continues, “Being an art therapist is giving people the artistic tools to help them gain insights about what they’re experiencing. It’s like I’m the co-pilot along their journey.”
“You cannot underestimate the impact of Molly in this,” Lyn shares. “The art therapy really is therapy.”
Darkness and light
Each week the group explores a new theme, such as stress reduction, darkness and light, mindfulness and letting go of control, or light and hope. The workshops bring these ideas to life through a variety of creative mediums that change from week to week. Examples include miniature clay sculptures, suncatchers, and pressed flowers.
Rita, another regular attendee, shares, “The therapeutic art sessions at Gilda’s Club help me make time to focus on aspects of living that I may not otherwise consider. That’s because each session has a theme and a question to consider. I appreciate the unhurried conversation and the openness to whatever is shared.”
The joy of learning new art mediums
Like many attendees, Rita also appreciates that she gets to learn and experiment with all different forms of art. The workshops are essentially an introductory class to using all different types of mediums. This also allows attendees to find their “niche” and continue to create art on their own.
Rita explains, “These sessions have introduced me to many art forms I’ve never tried. The supportive environment enables trial and error and experimentation. Since I love to learn, the wide variety of art forms is much appreciated.”
Alongside our regular therapeutic art workshops this year, we introduced a guest artist series. In this series, volunteers share a medium they know well, giving participants the chance to try something new. Gilda’s Club is always welcoming volunteers who are excited to share the art forms they love.
“Things that don’t easily lend themselves to words”
Another key to the workshops is the fact that attendees get to create art with others in a supportive environment. In the workshops, you often hear attendees provide positive feedback to others, or simply chat about what’s happening in their lives.
Lyn shares that being around others who “get it” is key, even if they never talk about cancer. “Making art in community with a bunch of people who know what it’s like to have chemo brain is an incredibly healing experience,” she shares.
Like many attendees, Lyn has shared her workshop creations in the annual Gilda’s Community Art Show. One of her pieces has even been featured in an art gallery.
But more than having a beautiful final product, therapeutic art has opened the former journalist up to a whole different side of herself. “It allows me to express things that don’t easily lend themselves to words.”
Thank you to our donors who make workshops like therapeutic art possible. If you are interested in financially supporting therapeutic art, please contact Lindsey at (608)828-8862 or lindsey@gildasclubmadison.org. If you are interested in volunteering as a guest artist at a future workshop, please contact Christine at christine@gildasclubmadison.org.