The Seventh Annual Art Show of the American Psychoanalytic Association was held Thursday through Saturday, January 15–17, in the Exhibit Hall. Extending the duration from one to three days and housing the show in a more central area enhanced ease of access for viewers and increased visibility for artists.
The Art Show provides a unique opportunity for psychoanalysts, psychoanalytic therapists and educators to exhibit personal artistic creations and discuss various aspects of direct involvement in the creative process ranging from spontaneity of inspiration to technical nuances of working in varieties of media.
The show is open to all members and associates of APsaA. The only requirement is that the art displayed be original work of the exhibitors. The simplicity of the minimal requirement is belied by the courage required of exhibitors to display their personal creations to colleagues. Many viewers commented that they were interested in participating but felt intimidated about presenting their work as “art” or themselves as “artists,” terms often reserved for masters such as Picasso and Rembrandt. An analogue might be something on the order of avoiding presenting papers at APsaA meetings because they might not measure up to the writings of Freud. But the analogy falls short when considering, as I do, that artistic creations are more direct expressions of unconscious mentation than writing a formal paper and may feel even riskier to present publicly.
The media of the 15 artists in the 2015 show, an enriching mixture of first-timers and veterans, included photography, watercolor, oil and acrylic painting, pastels, collage, art books, wood carving, festive headdresses, and jewelry. The artists included: Graciela Abelin-Sas Rose, Tanya Azarani, Virginia Barry, Newell Fischer, Richard Frank, Annarita Gentile, William Kenner, Valerie Laabs-Siemon, Mali Mann, Raymond Raskin, Moisy Shopper, Helen Stein, Victoria Todd, Sebastian Zimmermann and me.
Valerie Laabs-Siemon generously volunteered to co-direct the 2015 show. Her participation was invaluable as the expansion entailed a considerable increment in organizational complexity. Valerie and I thank Michael Candela, APsaA meetings and exhibits coordinator, for his enthusiastic support and extend special thanks to the exhibiting artists.
Several enquiries have been made about the possibility of including poetry readings and musical performances in the Art Show. To date, practical considerations of space and time have precluded these art forms, but the idea of a more comprehensive forum for artistic expression and discussion is attractive.
To view a larger sample of color digital images of exhibitors' work, go to select Albums and then APSA Art Show 2015.
Robert L. Welker, Ph.D., is a psychologist and psychoanalyst in private practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.