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Self Portrait: An Art Exhibition Visit

Organisation

DAFNI KEK

Methodology

Self-reflection through self-portraits

Type of activity / modality

Activity, Workshop / In presence

Summary

The “Self Portrait: An Art Exhibition visit is a workshop designed to help participants discover their inner selves and express their emotions through the power of art and self-reflection. By engaging in an evocative art exhibition and participating in creative exercises, participants will explore their personal narratives, enhance their self-esteem, and foster their creativity.

Theme

“Self Portrait: An Art Exhibition Visit” uses the methodology of creative writing, engaging participants in reflective exercises inspired by an art exhibition that commemorates significant historical events. Through guided sharing, creative drawing, and self-descriptive writing, participants will explore their emotions and personal narratives. This process not only enhances their creativity but also strengthens their self-esteem and self-reflection.

Participants

The workshop was initially developed for Ukrainian female refugees living in Athens. Still, it is suitable for diverse groups of learners and age groups.

Objective

The objectives of the workshop are:

  • the participants to discover their inner selves and express their emotions through art;
  • to increase self-esteem using the positive psychology approach;
  • to self-reflect on personal qualities and strengths;
  • to enhance creativity.

Materials

The materials needed for this workshop are a pencil or pen and erasers, a piece of paper or notebooks and writing pads available for all the participants. Also, the educator should have colored pencils, markers and crayons, sketchpads or drawing paper. A flipchart will be useful for the facilitator to explain the steps of the activity.

Preparation

The facilitator should select a location for the workshop that is a space considered safe by all participants. A place that provides a physically and emotionally safe environment for all participants, especially a place where people can freely express themselves without fear of prejudice or any negative judgment. The process of sharing personal information may be stressful for some of the participants, so the facilitator should be alert to understand any inconvenience, take the lead and handle the situation.

In addition, the facilitator should have a familiarity with using creative writing techniques in order to be able to explain the necessary steps, the techniques and the creative process. If possible, the facilitator should visit the exhibition beforehand to understand the content and themes and note key pieces that may evoke strong emotions or connections to the participants’ experiences.

Also, the exhibition details, including location, timings, and any necessary permissions or tickets should be confirmed, as well as transportation if needed, should be organised.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Participants visit an art exhibition or a museum with an exhibition relevant to their context.*1
  2. Participants are asked to share their thoughts and emotions about the pictures to express emotions of joy and sadness and share facts about themselves and their immigration stories if they feel safe to do so.
  3. Participants are asked to draw their own picture after embracing their emotions after the exhibition.
  4. Then, participants are asked to write 10 sentences about themselves, starting with: “I am…”.
  5. Participants share their self-portraits and their self-descriptions among the group.

*1 During the piloting phase of the workshops, participants visited an art exhibition commemorating the 10th anniversary of the war in Ukraine and two years of full-scale aggression, immersing themselves in the powerful visual narratives. This activity can be replaced by a visit to a museum or another exhibition with a theme that is more appropriate to the group participating in the workshop each time and can provoke their participation and fruitful reflection.

Evaluation

During the last step of the workshop, participants are encouraged to share their self-portraits and “I am…” statements with the group and talk about any new insights they gained about themselves and their emotions during these activities. In addition, the facilitator leads a group discussion focusing on the following reflective questions:
“How did the art exhibition influence your emotions and creative expression?”, “What did you discover about yourself through drawing and writing?”, “How did sharing your thoughts and art with the group affect your understanding of your own experiences?”, “How confident do you feel in expressing your emotions through art now compared to before the workshop?”, “What personal qualities and strengths did you recognize during this workshop?”, “How has this workshop impacted your self-esteem and sense of creativity?”.

Tips – Safety

The workshop can be adapted to suit coherent and diverse groups of learners. Participants may share personal information and this process may be stressful for some of them, so the facilitator should be alert to understand any inconvenience, take the lead and handle the situation. The facilitator should be aware that the exhibition’s content, particularly related to war and aggression, may trigger strong emotional reactions and should be prepared to provide immediate support to participants who may become distressed.

In addition, the facilitator should recognize and respect the diverse backgrounds of participants, be mindful that different cultural contexts may influence how participants perceive and react to the artwork and avoid making assumptions about participants’ experiences or emotions.

Group size

The group size for this workshop does not matter, but it is more challenging to manage the workshop with the participation of many individuals. Working with a big group of people makes it harder to make people feel safe to share about themselves. 8 to 10 participants would be the ideal group size.

Complexity

The complexity of the workshop can be rated at 2. The facilitator needs to take some time to prepare the different phases of the workshop, review the methodology and prepare the workshop’s reflection phase.

Time

2 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes would be ideal for the Self Portrait: An Art Exhibition Visit workshop.

Author(s) – Sources

Nataliya Dovhopol

In this section you will find the official translations of the activities in Italian, Portuguese, Swedish and Greek when they will be ready

In this section you will find the official translations of the activities in Italian, Portuguese, Swedish and Greek when they will be ready

In this section you will find the official translations of the activities in Italian, Portuguese, Swedish and Greek when they will be ready

In this section you will find the official translations of the activities in Italian, Portuguese, Swedish and Greek when they will be ready

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