December 5, 2023
We were delighted to present AATA’s annual awards and scholarships in person at this year’s 2023 annual conference in San Diego, as well as virtually during our Annual Meeting of the Membership. Congratulations to this year’s winners for their outstanding work and championing the art therapy profession.
Thank you also to our Honors, Multicultural, Research and Scholarship Committees for their efforts in supporting our awards and scholarships. Learn more about AATA’s scholarships and how to apply here.
Student Scholarships
AATA Conference Scholarships
This year, we presented three student scholarships to attend AATA2023 in San Diego. These were awarded to the following exemplary students: Janeth Arcila Padilla, Savannah Patterson, and Kristyn Stickley.
Laura Greenstone Memorial Scholarship Fund
This year’s Laura Greenstone Memorial Scholarship Fund was awarded to Thursbe Janda, who recently graduated from University of Zimbabwe.
AATA Anniversary Scholarship Fund Award
The AATA Anniversary Scholarship Fund Award was awarded to Sophi Burch, a student at Antioch University.
New Professional Scholarship
The 2023 New Professional Scholarship was awarded to Amber Rayne Bliss. A recent graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Amber is currently interning and serving a range of clients, including adolescents at an in-patient residential facility as well as women and children through a domestic violence non-profit organization.
Drachnik Minorities Fund Award
The Cay Drachnik Minorities Fund is specifically designed for the purchase of books.
This year’s recipient is EJ Liao who is attending Loyola Marymount University.
Prasad Family Foundation Scholarship
The Prasad Family Foundation International Student Scholarship is specifically designed to enable an international student member to attend the Annual Conference.
This year, the scholarship was presented to Cui Jing, attending from China. She is a doctoral student in the Art Therapy program at Florida State University.
Horovitz Spiritual Art Therapy Scholarship
The Dr. Ellen G. Horovitz Spiritual Art Therapy Scholarship recognizes the specialization of Spiritual Art Therapy (within the mind/body practice).
This year, we award this scholarship to Mia de Béthune, who is currently in the Lesley University Expressive Arts Therapy Ph.D. Program. Based on her background in Reiki, Mia’s concept of spiritual art therapy involves the use of energy healing and the transpersonal aspects of psychotherapy.
Myra Levick Scholarship Fund
This year’s Myra Levick Scholarship was awarded to Chelsea Faulkner, who is attending Drexel University.
Professional Awards
Best Paper Award
The 2023 Best Paper Award goes to Christina Blomdahl, Suzanne Guregård, Marie Rusner and Helle Wijk for their paper, Recovery From Depression—A 6-Month Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Study of Manual-Based Phenomenological Art Therapy for Persons With Depression.
Jim Consoli Award
The Jim Consoli Video/Film Award recognizes the recipient’s contribution to the field of art therapy through video or film.
We are proud to present this award to Yanna Marie Orcel for the piece “A.P”, which shows how therapeutic art approaches can be used to address the feelings of distress associated with the banning of Critical Race Theory (or CRT) across the United States.
Outstanding Applied Creative Practice Award
The Outstanding Applied Creative Practice Award was inspired by the life and work of art therapist, artist, author, and puppet maker, Dr. Lani Gerity Glanville. The award recognizes an art therapist who has made remarkable creative contributions to the profession of art therapy as an active artist.
This year, we are proud to present this recognition to Zachary Van Den Berg.
Pearlie Roberson Award
Created in 2000, the Pearlie Roberson Award honors Pearlie Roberson, an African American artist and art therapy client. The award, presented by the AATA Multicultural Committee, honors Ms. Roberson’s request to “remember me” and supports efforts to “explore, express, connect…” to enhance the multicultural aspects of the therapeutic experience.
This year’s award goes to Chelsea Faulkner, who is attending Drexel University.
Rawley Silver Research Award
The Rawley Silver Research Award supports art therapy research studies in their proposal stage.
We are proud to recognize Mia de Béthune for her dissertation research: What is the experience of embodiment in art making for art therapists?
Rawley Silver Award for Excellence
The Rawley Silver Award for Excellence is awarded to a student member whose academic record is deemed excellent. Khalia Kennedy is this year’s recipient, a student at Florida State University.
Gladys Agell Award
The Gladys Agell Award for Excellence in Research is presented to Jinnie Jeon for research in art therapy interventions based on the Expressive Therapies Continuum framework with older adults with dementia.
AATA Seed Grant Award
The Seed Grant Award funds an art therapy research study in its proposal stage.
This year’s award was presented to Dr. Mary Andrus for a crossover mixed-methods study, Art Making on the Nervous System.
Distinguished Legislative Award
The Distinguished Legislative Award honors Nancy Schoebel, an art therapist and vigorous advocate of art therapy at the local and national levels.
This year’s award is presented to Briana Leigh Colton, the Minnesota Art Therapy Licensure Team Organizer, for her commitment to advocacy and outreach.
Distinguished Clinician Award
The Distinguished Clinician Award focuses on the nominee’s work with clients. This year, we are proud to honor Katherine McEwan for her work in both locked psychiatric and rehabilitation hospitals, and more recently, as a self-employed practitioner providing clinical art therapy services to a number of treatment centers here in San Diego. She is also an active advocate for her clients as well as on behalf of the art therapy profession.
Distinguished Educator Award
This award focuses on recognition of significant contributions to the education of professionals in the field of art therapy, specifically in the area of outstanding teaching and the development of innovative educational practices.
This year, the award was presented to Matthew Bernier, Associate Professor in the Art Therapy and Counseling MS program at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He is a distinguished educator with 33 years of experience mentoring more than 700 students becoming art therapists.
President’s Awards
This year, AATA President Girija Kaimal bestowed two President’s Awards in honor of extraordinary efforts to champion the art therapy profession: to Sangeeta Prasad and the Buckeye Art Therapy Association.
Sangeeta Prasad is co-founder of Circle Art Studio in Virginia and vice president of the Prasad Family Foundation. She teaches and is helping establish an art therapy program at the Maharastra Institute of Technology (MIT) in Pune, India.
After years of advocacy for the profession in Ohio, the Buckeye Art Therapy Association was able to secure licensure for art therapists in the state when their Governor signed the budget into law in July 2023. Congrats!