Art Therapy on the Cutting Edge: Invention and Innovation
2008 AATA Conference Service Project
November 19, 2008
“What Makes a House a Home”
The American Art Therapy Association and the Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) of the 2008
Conference in Cleveland invite you to participate in a Service Project that will draw upon your artistic
skills to benefit the people of a large community in need.
THE NEED
Cleveland, the host city of the 2008 AATA Conference, is one of the most impoverished cities in the country. Our service
project is designed to address this need by assisting Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, an established service
organization already doing substantial work to remedy the poverty impacting the lives of so many people in this area. In
the spirit of our profession and our belief in the power of art, we are approaching this problem by utilizing our skills as artists.
Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity works in partnerships to eliminate substandard housing to enable needy families
to improve their lives. They create hope by building homes, strengthening neighborhoods and reweaving communities.
(Visit www.clevelandhabitat.org for more information about their work). The Cleveland Habitat affiliate has itself been
housed in a century-old, former brewery that does not serve its construction and human resource needs. This year they
are moving to a new site, which will allow them to vastly expand their scope and operations. Our 2008 AATA Conference
Service Project will help make their new house a home.
THE SERVICE PROJECT
You are invited to send us an 18”x18” painted canvas reflecting the theme “What makes a house a home?” Canvasses
received before the deadline of October 20, 2008 will be assembled into a permanent quilt-like Mural at the new Habitat
headquarters’, Restore. Restore, the largest recycler of construction materials in the county, is a store where used or
new donated construction goods, (i.e.: sinks, appliances, cabinetry, furniture and fixtures) are recycled and sold to the public
for pennies on the dollar. Restore helps members of the community rehab their homes and furthers Habitat’s mission
to eliminate substandard housing. The Mural will be assembled and mounted on a prominent wall in Restore as part of
the Service Project Day on Wednesday, November 19, 2008. We will be departing the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
for Habitat at 9am. Activities will include mounting of the mural and other artistic volunteer projects. A lite lunch
will be provided on site and we will return to the hotel at 5pm. Register for this event as an AATA Conference
Special Event. Cost is $10 and is limited to 35 participants.
Meanwhile, here’s how you can contribute, even if you can’t join us in person on the service project day:
SERVICE NEED IDENTIFIED: Poverty
SERVICE ORGANIZATION: Cleveland Habitat for Humanity
PROJECT: Mural of assembled painted canvas squares
THEME: “What makes a house a home?”
FORMAT: 2-D acrylic or oil painting on 18”x18” un-stretched canvas or canvas paper. This piece is intended for
long term display, so any mixed media must be carefully adhered; lay flat on the canvas; and be sealed or
varnished. Squares will be assembled next to each other, so images on your 18” square should be painted up to
its edge. On the back of the canvas, please indicate which way is UP. You may submit more than one piece for
this project.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Post-marked by October 20, 2008
MAILING REQUIREMENTS: Rolled or flat canvasses should be mailed to the address below with a statement
attached to the back of the canvas listing your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and a brief artist’s
description about your painting and the mural theme.
MAIL TO:
Ursuline College - Art Therapy Counseling Department
c/o Sister Kathleen Burke, OSU, ATR-BC
2550 Lander Road, Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124
CONTACT: Service Project Chair - Sister Kathleen Burke, kburke@ursuline.edu
BY PHONE: Mickie McGraw: 216-932-1321 or Sr. Kathleen Burke: 440-646-8139
Thank you for participating in this valuable humanitarian service project. We look forward to receiving your artwork and seeing you November 19th in Cleveland!
