Featured Member: Tuesdai Johnson

March 6, 2024

The American Art Therapy Association represents a diversity of professionals, students, and organizations across the nation. We recognize and celebrate the work of our members at all levels through our Featured Member series.

“Truthfully, what keeps me most excited about the AATA community is connecting with other BIPOC art therapists. I love the annual conference for this reason alone. There are no words to describe the impact that Gwen Short and Charlotte Boston have had on my professional identity as a Black art therapist. I look forward to seeing them every year, as well as connecting with the art therapy students.”

— Tuesdai Johnson, MS, ATR, Licensed Resident in Counseling

Has working with a particular client group shaped your professional focus or specialty? What have you learned from working with these clients?

Working with the BIPOC and underserved communities has shaped my professional focus and career in ways that I never thought possible. Knowing and understanding the benefits of art therapy and how limited it appears to be in terms of access to BIPOC and unserved communities has been a driving force for me. I have learned a new form of resiliency from working with this population. This work continues to support and validate the notion that representation matters.

What excites you most about your job right now?

Being an art therapist is such an exciting and rewarding profession. I have found many new areas of joy as I continue to create and be afforded opportunities to work with the BIPOC and underserved communities. The profession of art therapy works, as we all know, but the impact it has on the BIPOC, and unserved communities is what keeps me interested in doing the work. It is both exciting and fulfilling to introduce a new form of therapy and art materials to clients, as well as witness the healing that takes place.

How have race, diversity, and/or social justice impacted your work as an art therapist?

Race, diversity, and social justice have had a huge impact on my work as a Black art therapist. As a graduate student attending a PWI, I knew that I wanted things to be different for BIPOC art therapy students coming after me. As a result, I have created what has been deemed a safe space for graduate BIPOC art therapy students to feel supported, validated, heard, and seen. As my business, Closing the Gap, continues to grow, I can see the necessity of deemed safe spaces for future art therapists.

What are your hopes for the future of the art therapy profession?

In the future, I would really like the profession of art therapy to be more diverse and art therapy licensure in all 50 states. As art therapists we know how truly impactful and healing the profession is and can be. It is my hope that Art Therapy is given an equitable chance amongst the other mental health professions in the fight against mental illnesses and mental health. I imagine a profession where cultural humility and DEI are not a pillar, but a part of our ethics. With these things in mind, I imagine a profession that could change the trajectory of the profession of mental health.

What advice would you give someone interested in pursuing a career in art therapy? 

I would tell anyone interested in pursuing a career in art therapy that the training will be rigorous, but it is both needed and necessary. I would tell anyone interested in pursuing a career in art therapy that the world is your oyster! As a Black art therapist, I found myself feeling limited in what I thought I would be able to do early on careerwise. Now, years later I find myself with more opportunities than imagined and a catalog of clients to continue to support and validate the need for more art therapists of color.

What’s your engagement with AATA?  

I am currently President of the Virginia Art Therapy Association (VATA). I also serve as the chair of the professional development committee, and co-chair the Events /Annual Art Show, Governmental Affairs, and Multicultural committees. Nationally, I have participated in Art Therapy licensure efforts in both Virginia and Oklahoma.

What keeps you excited about the AATA community?

Truthfully, what keeps me most excited about the AATA community is connecting with other BIPOC art therapists. We are few and far in-between. I love the annual conference for this reason alone. There are no words to describe the impact that Mrs. Gwen Short and Charlotte Boston have had on my professional identity as a Black art therapist. I look forward to seeing them every year (prior to Covid when I was attending regularly), as well as connecting with the art therapy students. I also credit the AATA with connecting me with a BIPOC circle of art therapists whom I cherish and also credit with a great amount of influence on my career as it stands. The AATA’s resources for connection continue to be the best part of being a member for me.

Anything else you’d like to share? 

I am currently accepting applicants to join small group BIPOC mentoring meetings. This is something that I offer per semester. The feedback from students has been overwhelming and continues to support the need for this line of work. If interested, please reach out to me via email at Closingthegapva@gmail.com.

About Tuesdai Johnson, MS, ATR, Licensed Resident in Counseling

Tuesdai is a business owner, published author, artist, registered Art Therapist, and licensed resident in counseling. As an Art Therapist, Tuesdai has made it her mission to bring awareness to the holistic healing effects of Art therapy. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Mississippi State University, and a Master of Science in Art Therapy and Counseling from Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Since beginning research at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Tuesdai has continued working towards increasing diversity within the field of Art Therapy and mental health professions alike. She has publish a co-authored peer reviewed brief report titled, Art Therapy Students of Color: The Experience of Seven Graduate Students, in addition to the recently co-authored peer reviewed article titled, BIPOC Art Therapists: Antiracism Work Through the Virtual Circle.

Tuesdai is the owner of Closing the Gap (CTG), which specializes in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color’s (BIPOC) mental health and wellness. CTG helps mental health educational programs improve diversity and inclusion in their efforts to reach more people in the BIPOC and neighboring communities offering a variety of services.