July 26, 2018
Elizabeth Hendley, MA, ATR-BC spearheaded the Expressive Therapies program at Dell Children’s Medical Center, beginning as a volunteer shortly after the hospital opened and now as a part-time art therapist. She designed and implemented a patient art gallery and helped create and facilitate a highly successful annual fundraising event called the Art of Giving. In February, she was invited by the Tennessee Art Therapy Association to present at their conference on how techniques from her fundraiser can be applied to other hospitals and facilities offering art therapy. “Not only was my presentation well-received by the many art therapists who attended, but Cynthia Woodruff, Executive Director of AATA, was in attendance as well, and expressed great appreciation for the thoughts and ideas I presented. This was certainly a highlight of my involvement with AATA."
Hendley stays connected to her local community through the South Texas Art Therapy Association and values her national AATA membership for the educational resources and the networking opportunities and notes, “it was through AATA that Second Lady Karen Pence’s office was able to contact me and set up her visit to Dell Children's last November!”
Hendley earned her master’s from Hofstra University and has practiced art therapy in a variety of settings with a wide range of populations. She has witnessed “the power of art therapy to engage the seemingly unreachable, calm those who are anxious, bring joy to those in crisis, build coping skills to those who feel hopeless, and acknowledge/process fears, trauma, and journeys great and small.” Understanding the power of creativity, she says, “In a time and place where there seems to be so much division, I would love for creative arts therapies to be a driving force toward healing and understanding among all people.”
“In the Midst” by Elizabeth Hendley. Acrylic and Bubble-wrap print. March 2018.
Artist Statement: “As an art therapist, I enjoy utilizing a wide variety of art media, but sometimes I find myself wanting to find my ‘thing,’ that niche that could bring me success in the art world. I admire artists who have found this creative process/product that defines their style, is easily recognizable by viewers as theirs, and can be developed and evolved in exciting ways (without losing its association with the artist). My latest attempt to narrow my focus to one specific process was abstract bubble-wrap printing with acrylic and then encircling my favorite areas in layers. I duplicated this idea several times at my artist station at Art of Giving, my annual fundraiser at Dell Children's, and continue to enjoy the results. For me, this is a meaningful reflection of my need for a positive balance between freedom and structure, playfulness and discipline.”