The LMU Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) program’s Summer Arts Workshop (SAW) took place this past August at Loyola Marymount University, inviting students from the Dolores Mission School in Los Angeles onto campus for an interdisciplinary week-long program. SAW started in 2009 and was designed to raise the students’ self-esteem and broaden their awareness of visual arts, dance and poetry. By participating in the program, LMU’s MFT students learn the process of administrating an art program from the beginning to end.
During the week, participants are invited to create representations of their historical narrative and explore how they can stay grounded in their beliefs and values while remaining flexible and curious in collective spaces.
“Participants are asked to explore identity formation and how their cultural foundation has given them a sense of uniqueness in this world that they can share with others in different settings,” said Amber Cromwell, SAW co-director. “The metaphor of coming together in a shared space, for example a dinner table, offers a poignant symbol of the magic that can come from bringing individuals of various point of views together.”
