Page 35 - Mar2019

HUES THAT eal
Art and Medicine converge, let the healing begin!
BY ATIBA ROGERS
l Art, in all its forms, can be many things to many people. To Picasso, it “washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Frida Kahlo was “happy to be alive as long as I can paint.” The origin of yet another quip
on art that goes, “Art, undeniably, is conductive to happiness” is unknown. But the words and others like them have become something of a unifying mantra among practitioners in the healing arts as well as those who practice creative art. Conventional wisdom these days is merging with that of the sages of old --that art is a form of medicine.“ “There have been scientific studies that [show] that the creative art process can elevate your mood,” said Washington, D.C.- based board-certified art therapist and licensed professional counselor Martina Martin. “They can enhance your emotional well-being.” This edition of Harlem Fine Arts Show Magazine recognizes the healing power of art by celebrating the fine visual arts of the African diaspora while saluting New York-area physicians whose hands practice the beneficent art of medicine. Art therapy was intro- duced as a subset of the mental health industry of the West in the 1940s, but indigenous cultures across the globe have been using it through ritual expres- sion, face painting and cultural attire for centuries. Much like what was por- trayed in the box office smash “Black Panther”, the benefits of art and its healing power are well known and increasingly acknowledged.“ “People have used art
to express and heal themselves for aeons,” Martin said. The evidence is striking: Research shows that the process of coloring alone reduces blood pressure, pain and stress. That’s not news to folks at The Healing Power of Art and Artists, an ini- tiative of Manhattan Arts International, which was founded in 1983 to promote emerging artists. The effort was launched in 2015 by Renee Phillips, founder and Director of Manhattan Arts International. It comprises artists, advocates, and writers who testify to the power of art to be a positive catalyst for enhancing well-being of individuals, society and the environment. “We believe that art has the power to heal, inspire, provoke, challenge and offer hope,” the group says in its mission statementat http://www.healing-power-of-art.org/.
HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 35
ART: WINGS BY CHANTEL BENTEL