The WHEAT team would like to sincerely thank each and everyone who has supported our work in training art therapists and expressive art therapists in the heart of the prairies! We are excited and honoured to continue our efforts by nurturing the dedication and passion for the therapeutic use of the arts. This past year was a momentous one as we celebrated the first graduating class of art therapists. We end 2018 with over 25 students training in the creative therapies, and dozens more that have enrolled in individual classes for professional development.
Here is a short recap of some of our significant milestones from the last year and what we are most looking forward to in the new year:
2018
January – Di Brandt, Winnipeg’s first Poet Laureate, taught her first class exploring Poetry in Expressive Arts Therapy with WHEAT. This was followed by a second class held in August with our Diploma students.
April – WHEAT hosted the first Little Stones documentary screening in Winnipeg
May – WHEAT Director Darci Adam and drama therapy sessional instructor Csilla Przibislawsky were two of the creative arts therapists on the “I Know More Than I Can Say: Five Creative Arts Therapists in Clinical Practice” panel organized by the Creative Arts in Counselling Chapter of CCPA at the annual conference held in Winnipeg
July – classes began for the new 2018 Art Therapy cohort and students enrolled in a dual diploma – a combined Art Therapy & Expressive Arts Therapy program (first of its kind!)
July – in partnership with the Sioux Lookout Youth Poverty Reduction Strategy WHEAT Director Darci Adam and sessional instructors Linda Manitowabi & Tanja Woloshen traveled to Sioux Lookout, Ontario to teach WHEAT's Expressive Arts Therapy: Theory & Practice class.
Summer – WHEAT started developing the first Therapeutic Clowning Diploma program in central Canada! We are looking forward to launching this new program next summer 2019 with the support of experienced instructors and therapeutic clowns from across Canada
August – David Langdon, Winnipeg’s most experienced Therapeutic Clown, taught his first class in Clowning with WHEAT
September – classes in Expressive Arts Therapy began in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. Participants will have the opportunity to complete the full certificate program over the next year (September – August 2019). This is the first time our training has been offered outside of Winnipeg!
September – WHEAT hosted a Culture Days drumming event with Val Vint & the Buffalo Gals and Jay Stoller & Drum Café at the Forks Oodena Celebration Circle
October – a video montage of the 2017 IEATA Conference, co-hosted by WHEAT and held in Winnipeg last October 2017, was released. Watch it HERE!
November – WHEAT celebrated the class of 2018 - the first graduating class of WHEAT and the first graduating class of art therapists in central Canada! We held a special ceremony and celebration on November 11th with over 70 guests in attendance.
November – announcement of the new Clown Play course with David Langdon, to be offered in a series of Saturday classes (January - May 2019)
2019
There is lots to be excited for in the new year. Our intention is to open up registration for the new Therapeutic Clowning Diploma program as soon as possible. We also welcome expressive arts expert Kate Donohue back to Winnipeg to teach her two classes in August (both of her classes will be open for professional development - click HERE to learn more) and we will have the addition of several new instructors, including Tzafi Weinberg who will be teaching our Art Therapy Studio class in February and Maria Riccardi who will be leading our first year Art Therapy classes next summer. There may also be a couple other new faces ... announcements to come soon!
WHEAT wishes all our students, instructors, staff, volunteers and community supporters – past and present - a very bright holiday and warm new year! See you in 2019.
With gratitude,
WHEAT Institute