Greetings from Our Art Therapy Intern

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Hello to the Emmanuel Church community! My name is Kate Solow and I am this year’s intern from Lesley University. I am in my second year working towards my masters in art therapy and mental health counseling. I got my BFA in Illustration from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and hope to use those skills both as an art therapist and as a children’s book illustrator. I am excited to be this year’s intern and am grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from the different populations served by the church.

The three programs that I’m participating in are Art and Spirituality, common art, and Café Emmanuel.

The Art and Spirituality program takes place at the Suffolk County House of Correction, and is a workshop in which women housed in the prison can make greeting cards to send to their loved ones who are outside of prison. I have already spoken to a couple of the women about making drawings for them to color in, and they were excited about that idea. I am looking forward to learning about the types of drawings they would like to create together. As I learn about the kind of drawings they want, I will try to help with specific art-related techniques or skills that they may like to learn. The underlying goal is to help them use art as a means of expressing their feelings toward those from whom they are separated because of where they are. I hope I can help them in making that connection through the use of art.

The common art program provides unhoused- and marginally-housed folks with a studio space to create art. I love that this is a welcoming space where people can come to eat and rest in addition to making art. I also love that there is an art show each week.  This shows the community that their art is taken seriously and respected. I have already begun making connections with people, and have enjoyed working with individuals when they have specific art-technique questions.

Finally, Cafe Emmanuel is a social lunch group for LGBTQ older adults. It’s been great to hear stories from the folks there. I am looking forward to learning more about them and hearing what they have learned over the years. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I feel honored to be able to connect with elders in my community. I’m excited to share my skills with them as I learn from their life experience.

As an art therapist, I hope to help people use art to be both seen and heard. I’m looking forward to learning and growing these skills through working at Emmanuel. Art can be an essential component of healing and growth, and everyone deserves access to it. I’m excited to get to work with such strong and diverse programs. I have already felt so welcomed into the Emmanuel Church community.  I know we will learn a lot from each other this year!