The newly formed Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling Student Organization (MAATC-SO) reached out to incoming students in support of the challenges that can be a part of a new academic year. This year, in particular, presents unexpected experiences in light of the recent pandemic. For some students, the first few weeks of school can be stressful, especially when trying to establish new social connections. With COVID-19 complicating social gathering students look for alternative ways to connect with others in a meaningful way. To this end, MAATC-SO arranged a virtual meet-and-greet for all students, new and returning. The student organization’s mission statement is to, “advocate for students, facilitate solution-based opportunities, and foster professional connections within the art therapy and local community.”, so an inter-cohort meet and greet seemed like the perfect opportunity.
MAATC-SO members introduced three icebreaker art activities that were intended to create a collaborative space for all students, promote student cohesion, and facilitate intercohort connection. The first directive was a whimsical drawing activity. The students were asked to draw what vegetable they most closely identify with. The second directive involved drawing any image while everyone used one color at the same time, and then called out the next color to be used. The end result yielded various images with unifying color schemes. The final directive put everyone on the same level of artistic ability because the blind contour directive required that no one look at their paper while drawing someone else on screen. The end-results were both light-hearted and humorous with a deeper level of human connection manifesting in a meaningful way.
“It was nice to laugh not only with each other but about our own artwork, as it can be nerve-wracking entering a space and sharing personal art with others,” said Marissa Ferrao, second year MAATC student.
The two hour meeting concluded with the opportunity for new students to ask questions. Appreciation was expressed by first year student, Eric Capitao, who said, “It provided a comfortable and relaxed place to meet other MAATC students through shared artistic expression.”
Another first year student, Sara Moreno, said “It was so great meeting like-minded individuals! The experience gave us a little window of what we can look forward to going through the MAATC program!”
Overall, the event was a successful experience for all involved and the group is excited to bring more opportunities for virtual community gathering in the future. The MAATC-SO invites you to dig deep, look inside yourself, and ask… “What veggie are you?”.