Through her conversations with parents, Elyse Feaver knows there is an undercurrent of anxiety common to many Sea to Sky youth. That's why the Audain Art Museum's engagement and volunteer manager believes her institution's new art therapy class is valuable.
Feaver describes art therapy as a safe, inclusive realm for teens aged 12 to 18 to explore their feelings by way of creative expression. Some might be afflicted with various mental-health issues, while others might just be looking for a new outlet—all are welcome.
Leading the program is Angela Walsh Noble, an art therapist in training who also has two bachelor's degrees from Queen's University and a master's in Art Education from the University of British Columbia on her resume. She possesses two decades of experience dealing with a variety of age groups in an equally diverse range of settings: from public and private schools to galleries and museums.
Noble is currently pursuing an Advanced Post-Graduate Diploma from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.
"She is the most caring human I've ever met," Feaver says about the Pembertonian educator. "I know that she's had a lot of wonderful community connections, and she also works a lot with the Indigenous communities from Pemberton to Lillooet. I feel like she is a true asset to our team in being able to deliver high-level programming that connects at a really grassroots stage in the development [of teenagers].
"The Audain has such a strong collection of art connected to B.C. [Angela] will use that as a jumping point to really help youth express the emotions and experiences that they may have gone through."
No art experience is required. The program is designed to be private, encouraging registrants to process their emotions, grow in self-awareness and gain personal insight without feeling like they need to make gallery-quality content. None of their creations will be photographed or displayed to the public.
A cathartic process
Noble's art therapy classes began on Aug. 11, averaging five kids per session. Feaver believes more could be interested in signing up, based on her experience with students on school tours.
"There's this one beautiful painting called 'Pond' by Gordon Smith, and next to it is this other, very dark canvas that really evokes his involvement in the Second World War. I really find that teens gravitate towards the dark one and they have a lot of questions," she says. "Even if kids aren't really expressing problems outwardly or not falling behind in school, sometimes they just want to know about things a little deeper.
"In a town that really puts sports before everything, for some kids … arts is a way to bring them back to community. One who couldn't play hockey anymore after a concussion lost his identity, but through art sessions he was able to find his voice again. Sometimes kids don't even have the words to use to express what they're feeling. [Art therapy] becomes more of a cathartic process for them to process in a nonverbal way."
Art therapy at the Audain is facilitated by grant money from the April 1 Foundation. In order to knock down barriers hindering participation, classes will be free for museum members beginning Sept. 8 and discounted below its current $15 price point for non-members. Feaver says her team is open to feedback about all of its community-oriented programming.
"Back to school is a time when teens are falling back into routine," she says. "Maybe they finish their summer travels or summer jobs, and they might be looking for a little bit more structure. We're really going to reach out to schools and get these teens to come in and test the program."
For details and registration, visit audainartmuseum.com/children-and-youth-programming.
