Art Therapy Students Facilitate Group Art Project at Spartanburg Rehab
Art Therapy seniors Kelly Brown, Keisha Hardy (Converse II), Holly McDermott and Alyssa Myers (Nisbet Honors) facilitated a group painting project at Spartanburg Rehabilitation under the direction of their professor, Geri Hurlbut.
“Strokes for Stroke” was presented at the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk in Greenville. 
Creating art may help stroke victims express what they are experiencing through imagery allowing the patient to convey ideas and emotions which they may not be able to verbalize.
Professor Hurlbut explained, “In this event, patients were encouraged to let their hands move across the page creating circles and other shapes until they were able to find a shape related to an idea that helped them in the healing process. Words such as attitude, determination, love and hope began to emerge along with imagery to match the words.
One patient drew train tracks going into a tunnel. When asked if the train was going into the tunnel or coming out of the tunnel, he said both, and expressed gratitude for his friends support in getting him through this medical challenge.”