Art as Therapy for PD

Making art has re-entered my life. Working in the clay studio, now that the weather is warmer, has been exciting. I have made the largest piece I’ve ever attempted – a sculpture of a flower that is about 24 inches tall. Not huge, but it has to be in two parts to fit in my kiln.

            
Robert Rodger’s Parkinson’s Recovery radio blog had an interview with Nancy Tingey, an artist who studied art therapy when her husband developed PD. The painting group for PDers that she formed in Australia has been copycatted all over  the country. In the interview she speaks about the benefits of art making, specifically painting in easing the symptoms and improving the well-being of PD sufferers. A very good interview, it reinforced the sense that the clay studio is therapy for me for multiple reasons, primarily for the joy of focusing on the creation of a personal expressive object whether a painting or sculpture. I recommend this interview to all readers:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parkinsons-recovery/2012/04/25/painting-with-parkinsons

There is also a two-part video on Youtube about her work called "Making a Mark; art as therapy for people with Parkinson's" :

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Making+a+Mark%3B+art+as+therapy+for+people+with+Parkinson%27s.

Wouldn't it be great if there were such groups in our country?