On January 13, the fourth annual art exhibit was held at the APsaA 2012 National Meeting. Each year the show has gotten better in terms of artistic richness, depth, and scope. The important fact is that the exhibit represents the work of members, candidate members, and associates of APsaA as well as members of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) and the International Psychoanalytical Studies Organization (IPSO). We are professional psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, and perhaps only amateur artists, but the quality of the work can be awesome.
This year we had some firsts: our first glass artist, audiovisual display, and art doll. This year again we had fine jewelry and woodworking. Last year we had an artist from China; this year from Croatia. The paintings and photography get better every year and this show was no exception. Themes from the show included an art glass rendering of the significance of ocean depths, a theme not far from the psychoanalytic appreciation of psychic depths. There were photographic portfolios representing the colors and life of Italy, the fundamental elements of earth, air, fire, and water, the soft hues of Nantucket, and portraits of well-known analysts. Southwestern jewelry in gold and silver, often with turquoise, was once again a striking part of the exhibit. The themes and artistic efforts were so diverse that the brief space of this article will not allow me to cover them all or do them justice.
Jon K. Meyer, M.D., is past-president of APsaA, a previous Erik Erikson Scholar at the Austen Riggs Center, professor of psychiatry and psychoanalysis emeritus, Medical College of Wisconsin, and a training and supervising analyst at the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis.
Having been part of the show for the last four years, I could appreciate the artistic efforts of those exhibiting for the first time as well as the development of those who enter year after year. For all of us, the experience of taking part in a show and seeing what other talented artists are doing, leads to an improvement in our own work. In addition, and in no small measure, that improvement is attributable to the friendly yet discerning commentary of James Blair, a renowned National Geographic photographer who has the artistic scope to discuss the diverse efforts and themes in the exhibit.
There is always an effort to expand and broaden the scope of the show so that more members can have exposure for their art. This year for the first time, images from the show and the work of artists were put online for those who either missed the show or wanted to remember it. Now that we have had a trial run of the audiovisual and have seen how successful it was, I hope to have more opportunities for it next year. We have already had members who, as part of the show and within its confines, hope to read their poetry. We will be thinking about whether that is feasible and/or in the spirit of the show.
Just as development as a psychoanalyst never stands still, neither does the art of members so there is always an effort to find new and improved means of featuring our artists and their work.