NARRATIVE ART THERAPY

Join us for BAGLY’s Narrative Art Therapy Spring/Summer 2024 cycle! BAGLY Narrative Art Therapy uses creative expression to separate one’s own identities from problem-saturated stories to explore and enhance one’s resilience.

This is a therapeutic space that allows us to explore and connect with each other in a meaningful way, this is not group therapy but rather a therapeutic group that facilitates connection and expression through art. 

This group will be a closed group consisting of 3 sessions once per month for the Spring/Summer 2024 cycle (April 18th, May 16th, and June 20th). Attendees will be asked to work on a project for each month’s prompt ahead of attending each month's meeting.  Pieces can be made with any medium (music, poetry, collage, painting, drawing, video, etc). Upon signing up, you and other attendees will be asked to commit to attending all three sessions.  If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to mentalwellness@bagly.org.

October’s Prompt:

Our full selves contain parts that we show freely with others and parts that we protect and keep inside. For this month’s Narrative Art Therapy, we will be exploring our inner and outer selves. We invite you to create a piece of art that represents both what you choose to show on the outside, what you keep on the inside, and why.

All mediums are welcome and encouraged. At the same time, we will be offering an optional guided workshop for creating identity trinket boxes using paint, mod-podge, collage, and drawing mediums. All materials will be included in the workshop.

November’s Prompt:

Often, carrying an item with special meanings or symbols can generate conversation and connection with others. What parts of you would you like others to see? What parts of your identity would you like to carry with you throughout the day? For this month’s Narrative Art Therapy, we will be exploring which parts of our inner selves that we would like to share openly with others. Examples include communities you are a part of, interests you hold, and special symbols that carry meaning for you.

All mediums are welcome and encouraged. At the same time, we will be offering an optional guided workshop on how to screen print tote bags with custom artwork. All materials will be included in the workshop.

December’s Prompt:

Sharing our authentic selves in a safe space can help us better understand who we are and help us treat ourselves with empathy and compassion. For this month’s Narrative Art Therapy, we invite you to fill your identity box with small objects that represent how you see yourself in your truest form. Which parts of yourself need to be seen and heard? How can you conceptualize those parts with art? We will be sharing the artwork in our boxes with the group. Examples of art can include photographs, drawings, letters, songs, or special objects.

All mediums are welcome and encouraged. At the same time, we will be offering an optional guided workshop on creating custom jewelry charms using heat-shrink plastic, ink and jewelry supplies. All materials will be included in the workshop.

Open to all LGBTQ+ youth ages 25 and under.