Art Therapy: A Welcomed Guest in the Kansas Fine Arts Communities (NY-SC5284)
Panels
Sherri Jacobs, MS, LMFT, MA, ATR
Sherri received her master’s degree in art therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and received her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Friends University in Kansas City. She has worked for many years as an art therapist with children, adolescents, elderly and people with dementia. Sherri is founder of Heartland Art Therapy at the InterUrban ArtHouse in Overland Park, Kansas. She is the past president of the Kansas Art Therapy Association, 2014 recipient of the AATA distinguished service award, TEDxOverlandPark found/organizer, and has held numerous civic leadership positions. Sherri is on the faculty of Avila University in Kansas City.
Peter Jasso, Director
Peter Jasso is the Director of the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission. He is a graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, and has worked in a variety of capacities in the entertainment industry. Peter is a recipient of the Mana de Topeka media award and the KC Film Fest Karen McCarthy Outstanding Service Award. Peter has served as Director of the Kansas Film Commission since 2002 and Director of the KCAIC since its creation in 2012.
Cara Weeks Neuburger, MA, ATR, LCPC
Cara Weeks Neuburger is an artist, art therapist, and licensed clinical professional counselor. She has worked in the field of community mental health since 2005 and founded the Expressive Therapies program at Valeo Behavioral Health Care in Topeka KS. Under her leadership, the program grew to a team of expressive therapists who provide a full range of art therapy and music therapy services across the continuum of care. The program operates the Creations of Hope Gallery, a professional art gallery and community outreach project located in downtown Topeka. The mission of the gallery is to celebrate the work of artists utilizing creativity as a force for healing, provide an accessible and empowering resource for artists to enter the art community, raise awareness and educate about mental health through art, and create events that challenge stigmatizing views of special populations by focusing on creativity, strengths, and hope rather than disability. Cara also writes grants, specializes in evidenced-based practices of family psychoeducation, paints, and is currently illustrating a collection of paper toys.
Nicole Emanuel, Founder, Artistic Director & Artist at InterUrban ArtHouse
A first-generation American Jew, born to a South African father and French mother, Nicole lived in and around New York City until 1980. She studied Philosophy and Psychology at Hampshire College then accidentally moved to San Francisco for 9 years while on a 2-week vacation. In San Francisco, Nicole finished her BA in Design & Industry with a minor in Community Arts and began her career in public art and Creative Placemaking. Nicole has created over 20 large-scale murals and two large-scale public sculptures; her paintings and drawings are in numerous corporate and private collections. In 2011, Nicole developed InterUrban ArtHouse (IUAH). The Mission of the IUAH is to enrich the cultural and economic vibrancy of the community by creating a place where artists and creative industries can work and prosper in an affordable, sustainable and inclusive environment.
Gaelynn Wolf Bordonaro, PhD, ATR-BC
Dr. Gaelynn P. Wolf Bordonaro, ATR-BC, Director of the ESU Art Therapy Program, has presented throughout the USA and internationally. Passionate about international art therapy responses to natural disasters, pediatric medical art therapy, and therapeutic uses of photography, Gaelynn is the Clinical Director of CHART and serves on the AATA Nominating Committee.
This panel presentation will highlight the integral role the arts community has played in advancing the field of art therapy in Kansas. All of the panel members have been champions of art therapy and have welcomed us to their tables, conversations, services, and events.