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Trauma-informed art therapy in museum spaces: bridging healing and community engagement
Thesis   Open access

Trauma-informed art therapy in museum spaces: bridging healing and community engagement

Guangyu Zhang
Master of Arts (M.A.), Drexel University
May 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010996
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Abstract

Art therapy Museum-based art therapy Community-based art therapy Third space Trauma-informed art therapy
This culminating project explores the potential of museum spaces to serve as emotionally resonant environments for art therapy. By integrating trauma-informed principles into non-clinical settings, the project investigates how creative practices rooted in presence, curiosity, and emotional resonance can support healing, reflection, and community engagement. The creative project takes the form of a handmade book, reflecting a commitment to slow, tactile, and personal creative practice. In contrast to digital or institutional outputs, the handmade format offers space for quiet attention and invites a more intimate, reflective experience. The project is intended for art therapists, museum educators, and creative practitioners who are interested in bridging therapeutic and cultural work in meaningful ways. It contributes to a growing conversation about how museums can expand their roles beyond preservation and display to actively support mental health, social inclusion, and community care. By combining research with creative practice, this project aims to model a thoughtful and accessible approach that encourages future collaborations between the fields of art therapy and museum education. It serves as both a proposal and a form of self-care. At its core, it is a reflection on how aesthetic experiences, when held with care, can foster both internal healing and a sense of collective transformation.

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