Art and Social Interaction

This second edition expands upon a program that teaches specially designed interactive visual arts activities to students to then share with individuals in jails, nursing homes, psychiatric facilities, domestic abuse shelters, and youth care centers. Creating expressive art through social interaction with those affected, students are afforded an intimate insight into social issues of our time, such as crime, mental illness, substance abuse and aging. Techniques and approaches are presented for drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and crafts including projected outcomes and expansive evaluation methods. Updates to the new edition include student reflections on their experiences and the influence upon their careers, and evaluation reports from institutional administrators on the effect of the program on clientele. Delivering everything needed to set up the course in any liberal arts college, the book covers planning and execution, aesthetic and humanistic objectives, projected outcomes, and methods of evaluation. By adopting this manual, colleges can provide students with education relevant to their lives and potential careers. Institutions can find all they need to establish an effective volunteer program of self-enhancement through the arts for those they serve.