April 9, 2014

Art Expressions Workshop with Alice Barletta

Regency Assisted Living Art Expressions WorkshopOn Thursday, March 13th, Art Therapist, Alice Barletta visited The Regency Assisted Living in Glen Cove, Long Island to work with residents as part of their Regency University Educational Series. She helped them to express themselves through the therapeutic and artistic process of creating Circular Mandalas.
A Mandala is a complex abstract design that is usually circular in form. In fact, “mandala” is a Sanskrit word that means “circle”. Mandalas generally have one identifiable center point, from which emanates an array of symbols, shapes and forms such as circles, triangles, loops and raindrops. Repeated patterns are also key in the creation of a Mandala. Creating Mandalas is a therapeutic process
proven to reduce anxiety and fragmented thoughts, decrease  confusion and increase focus and control. This art form enhances self-esteem through a failure-free product, and a sense of control through choice making. The Mandala process also gives the participants an opportunity to demonstrate skill through color, line and form. Materials used to create Mandalas usually include, rulers, compasses, colored pencils, crayons and water colors.
Alice’s master’s thesis was a qualitative study on the benefits of the Mandala process. She has found that creating Mandalas is beneficial for people of all ages and skill levels, and is especially beneficial for the elderly and special needs populations. She loves to see how each person’s Mandala is unique and special. Regency residents really enjoyed creating their own Mandalas with Alice. They found it to be
very calming and enjoyed sharing their projects with her and with each other. The Regency thanks Alice for her guidance with this special project. In addition, Erica Ferrara, The Regency’s Recreation Director, is excited to announce that Alice will be coming to The Regency for Art Therapy on a weekly basis.

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