Rendering Beyond_words in Transitioning to Motherhood Through Visual and Dramatic Arts

Autores

  • Victoria Scotti Independent Scholar and Author, Art Therapist
  • Nancy Gerber Drexel University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v17i3.924

Palavras-chave:

art therapy, transitioning to motherhood, arts-based research, portraiture

Resumo

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation research study was to use arts-based research methods to explore the beyond_words  phenomena of first-time mothers who were in the process of transitioning to motherhood. The multidimensional embodied, emotional, and sensory experiences that accompany new motherhood can be overwhelming, be difficult to articulate verbally, and impact the perceptions of the new mother’s relationship to herself and her child (Crossley, 2009; Lintott & Sander-Staudt, 2011; Prinds et al., 2014).

In order to honor and capture the emergent, vital, and multi-dimensional nature of beyond_words in transitioning to motherhood, in this study, arts-based research methods were used to explore and represent these phenomena, otherwise inexpressible in words. The arts-based results are presented as five portrait syntheses and a final synthesis play in four acts that bring to life and invite the viewer to live the mothers’ beyond_words experiences, while simultaneously positioning them within the wider context of current medical and health sciences research perspectives.
The final synthesis, which is the featured dramatic play, aspires to give voice and aesthetic power to these mothers’ beyond_words transitioning to motherhood experiences. In the philosophical tradition of ABR (Leavy, 2009, 2015), this study marries the rigor of research with the aesthetic power of the visual and dramatic arts challenging existing assumptions, beliefs, and cultural stereotypes about motherhood and disseminating the results to relevant stakeholders.

Biografia do Autor

Victoria Scotti, Independent Scholar and Author, Art Therapist

Victoria Scotti, PhD. is an art therapist, artist, independent arts-based researcher, and a lecturer. Her multidisciplinary work centers around women´s and children´s lived experiences which she investigates from the perspectives of art therapy, the fine arts, and arts-based research. She recently graduated from Drexel University, Philadelphia, with a PhD in Creative Arts Therapies. With Patricia Leavy, she is the author of Low-fat love stories (Sense, 2017).

Nancy Gerber, Drexel University

Nancy Gerber, Ph.D, ATR-BC is  an Associate Clinical Professor and Art Psychotherapist. She is currently the author and director of the Ph.D Program in Creative Arts Therapies and former Director of the Master’s Degree Program in Art Therapy at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.  She has presented and published on art therapy assessment and treatment, doctoral education for art therapists, mixed methods research, and arts-based research.  Dr. Gerber was the first recipient of the Distinguished Educator’s Award from the American Art Therapy Association. She currently chairs a task force on Doctoral Education for Art Therapists for the American Art Therapy Association, serves on the Research and Education Committees for AATA, and is a former interim board member and conference program coordinator for the Mixed Methods International Research Association.

Publicado

2017-09-29

Como Citar

Scotti, V., & Gerber, N. (2017). Rendering Beyond_words in Transitioning to Motherhood Through Visual and Dramatic Arts. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v17i3.924

Edição

Seção

Exploring the Spaces Between Performance and Health