On October 18-19, 2012, Northeastern Illinois University, held it's annual Art in Response to Violence Conference at NIU. Two representatives from IATA , Laura Ebach and Melissa Hedlund, attended the conference on Friday, October 19th, to provide a safe space for participants to create artwork in response to the conference. The pair set up a comfortable and safe environment in one of the art rooms at NIU for attendees to express what they needed through paints, oil pastels and chalk pastels.

IATA’s movie night at the Fulton Street Collective featured the artist Andy Goldsworthy’s documentary Rivers and Tides. The film was a stunning display of his art work and a glimpse into his process and home life. It was an intimate gathering and an excellent space to watch a movie in. The spectacular beauty of Goldsworthy’s environment was enhanced by the cosy seating and highlighted by the art space in the Collective. We munched on pizza and salad and took in Goldsworthy’s gorgeous genius before discussing the highlights of the film in relation to our own practice as artists and art therapists. I highly recommend attending the movie night events and look forward to the next one.

Alison Pollack, first year art therapy student at Adler School of Professional Psychology