ABOUT CURATING ART THERAPY

This blog  has been developed in conjunction with the exhibition A Personal History of Art Therapy in Less Than 100 Objects held at Gallery 35, Chapel Walk in Sheffield from Monday, September 10th to Saturday, September 15th 2018.

About the exhibition

In late 2017 I sent an email to twenty or so art therapists or former art therapists - most of whom were friends or acquaintances in the profession, or current and former colleagues - inviting them to contribute to an exhibition I was proposing to organise in Sheffield, at a venue yet to be identified. The working title for the exhibition was – and remains - ‘A personal history of Art Therapy in less than 100 objects’; a title I shamelessly adapted in part homage to the BBC Radio 4 series, A History of the World in 100 Objects. 

Since first hearing Neil MacGregor’s radio programmes narrating human history through one hundred objects I have been intrigued by the idea that objects, combined in a particular order, can tell a story beyond that of their own making.  

The brief

Each potential contributor was invited to submit a photograph or scanned drawing - of sufficiently high quality - of an object - made, found, gifted, purchased or which has in some other way - has played a significant role in their professional life.

Each image was to be accompanied by a brief description - of no more than 500 words in length - of the reasons for choosing this object. And that was it. 

When I sent my email out into the world I wasn’t at all sure what kind of response my invitation would receive. I was fortunate to receive a very positive one.

Why objects?

As I hope the exhibition demonstrated, ‘objects’ and ideas about objects – real and imagined - are important to us; personally and professionally. Who we are, individually and collectively, may be defined by the objects we possess. Each of the contributors to this exhibition is sharing with you an object that has played a significant role in their personal and professional development and in the development of art therapy as a profession. 

You are invited to think about the significance of the objects you possess and the perhaps unacknowledged role they may play in your personal or working life.

David Edwards, Sheffield