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By Amanda Chen Art Therapy is more about the art making process, rather than the result or the grade, however there is an element of art education that still needs to be present. In the similar concept where words are not enough, where in some cases children have not developed the vocabulary and words to fully express how they feel, if the child does not have the basic art making skills, they would not be able to fully express themselves either. For the case of Ann* (names have been changed to protect the identity of the child), while she was happy making marks using paints, she was not able to paint or create exactly what she wanted because she did not have any prior art making knowledge or skills. During her first session, where an assessment was conducted, she did take well to making art, but what she could do was limited. She painted Thomas & Friends trains, something she liked and wanted to share. But looking at the image, no one could figure out what she was creating. (see image below) During the second session, she was taught some basic drawing and colouring skills with pencils and markers, with the correct ways to use them. Immediately after the session was finished, on her own, she took out her sketchbook and began to apply what she had learnt into what she wanted to do. What she achieved on her own, after that session was amazing. She managed to create faces to her character and add more form and structure to her work. This was extremely encouraging for not only Ann, but for her parents and therapist. She was proud of what she had created and continues to develop a keen interest towards art and her art making process. (see image below) From that one example, teaching a child a skill set that develops into mastery, an important attribute to the creative development process of creative self-expression.

ARTS FOR GOOD PROGRAM BY SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION 30 artists from over 10 nationalities convene in Chennai for the Arts For Good forum held by Singapore International Foundation. Arts educators, practitioners and programmers exchanged ideas and shared best practices to create positive social change through art at the Arts for Good Forum. Chennai, 22 February 2019 – The Arts for Good Forum, an international collaboration between the Singapore International Foundation and NalandaWay Foundation, was held in Chennai today at the Stella Maris College. The forum brought together a dynamic group of educators, arts practitioners and programmers. Individuals working with the arts and youth exchanged ideas and shared best practices to create positive social change in diverse communities. An engaging panel discussion was conducted on the topic ‘Empowering Youth through the Arts’ to an audience of nearly 100 members of the public. The panel was moderated by Sriram Ayer, SIF Arts for Good (Fellow) and CEO & Founder of the award-winning NGO, Nalandaway Foundation. He shared, “In a world that is increasingly threatened by growing nationalism, it is imperative for artists to play the role of peacemakers, connectors and negotiators. The Singapore International Foundation’s efforts to bring together a diverse group of practitioners, programmers, educators, researchers, and policymakers through the Arts for Good Fellowship programme is helping to build an ‘Arts for Good’ ecosystem that is much needed at present.” The forum marks the end of the four-day Chennai Exchange Programme of the Arts for Good Fellowship organised by the SIF. Over the four days, 30 SIF Arts for Good fellows from 10 nationalities only gained insights into the arts for good scene in Chennai and but also carried out several arts-based collaborative projects. One of these projects saw SIF Arts for Good Fellows from Singapore, India, and UK collaborate to create a mural in a high school in Thiruvanmiyur. They co-created the mural with over 100 students from the high school. Portraying dreams, hope, faith, and creativity, the mural was completed over two days. Another collaborative project was the infusion of a Tamil folk song with Malay dance movements for the students of a weekly Art Lab lessons conducted by the NalandaWay Foundation. Singaporean Muhammad Noramin Bin Mohamed Farid, SIF Arts for Good Fellow and Joint Artistic Director, Bhumi Collective led this effort with music educator Manjula Ponnapalli. He shared, “From my collaborative experience here in Chennai, especially as an artist working with communities which is not my own, I still found openness amongst the students to take in what we were trying to communicate and learn alongside us. This is proof that there is possibility for intercultural exchange through artistic means. Although this is a very small example, this is something which can be replicated can be seen in other ways, through other artistic exchange and collaborations.” Amanda Chen, Art Therapist from Art for Good, was proud to be one of the fellows who joined the Arts for Good Program by Singapore International Foundation 18-22 February 2019.

The Red Pencil (Singapore) is a charity which provides art therapy to children in need, especially those from low-income families. Our founder and art therapist Amanda Chen is also an art therapist with The Red Pencil (Singapore) and has been featured in their 2018 Annual Report. An abstraction of the report as below. Since 2011, The Red Pencil (Singapore) team has been devoted to bring the benefits of arts therapy to many beneficiaries, working with partner organisations and the local art therapists’ community to achieve its objectives and mission and to raise awareness of arts therapy. The Red Pencil (Singapore) collaborated with talented musicians of the Tang Tee Khoon Grand Series on two private art and music workshops: one in May for children recovering from cancer and another in November for children with special needs and children from underprivileged backgrounds, held at the National Gallery Singapore and the Esplanade respectively. On both occasions, the children created artworks in response to the beautiful tunes performed by the musicians. The Red Pencil sponsored the art materials used in these private workshops and coordinated the presence of an art therapist as well as art therapy student volunteers from the LASALLE College of the Arts. We would like to thank all the art therapists who have worked with us for their dedication and commitment to our service users. We asked two of them to share their insights on the art therapy profession. Here is what they have to say: Healing is a process that continues beyond the art therapy session. The misconception of art therapy is that after the sessions, the client is expected to be all better or completely healed. Some improvements in the mood and behaviour are part of the healing process, but the journey of healing is often a long one. Amanda Chen on some of the common misconceptions that people often have about art therapy