This film is an introduction to the history of art therapy with children in the United States. It traces the origins of child art therapy, including the “art education therapy” proposed by Viktor Lowenfeld for children with disabilities, and the therapeutic approach to creative art teaching described by Florence Cane. Cane’s sister, Margaret Naumburg, started Walden, a progressive school in 1914, which laid the foundation for her groundbreaking work with hospitalized children about whom she wrote a series of case studies, collected in her first monograph in 1947. Edith Kramer, a refugee from Nazi Europe, first developed her theories while working with disturbed boys at the Wiltwyck School, publishing her first book in 1958. Other early art therapists working with children are featured, including Rawley Silver, Mala Betensky, Lucille Venture, Janie Rhyne, and Sandra Graves-Alcorn. Those working in schools like Janet Bush and Alice Karamanol are also seen, as well as those serving children in the wider community, including Judy Rubin and Kit Jenkins. Contemporary art programs such as Raw Arts and the art therapy program at Dade County Public Schools are also featured.
This video was formerly included in the Expressive Media Arts Therapies Films Collection distributed by Expressive Media Inc.
