Poet, Painter, Pianist: Artist Identity and the Art Therapist

By Virginia Thurston

This document is a portfolio containing the written components of a capstone project for the DKATI diploma of the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute (KATI). This project was the planning and execution of a solo public performance comprising of a classical piano recital, poetry recital and art exhibition. It was held at St. Saviour's Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Nelson, British Columbia, on the evening of Saturday, April 27, 2019.

The intention was to illustrate the value of having a strong and integrated artist identity in practicing as an art therapist. Because all three of the presenter's modes of creativity - poetry, art and music - were forged into a single artistic identity as a result of the planning and execution of this event, it stands as testimony to the power that creativity has to shape one's sense of self and one's destiny. The unifying concept of the presentation is the 'elision', meaning that death and life happen together. In this case, the presenter's fragmented identity as three separate kinds of artist passed away as her identity as a single artist came to life.