PROGRAM TYPE
On Campus

DEGREES
BA

Contact

Matsumoto Darrell

Darrell Matsumoto, MFA

Chair, Art and Design, Associate Professor of Photography, Director of Art Programs & Art Gallery
Department of Art & Design
(508) 849-3464

Art Therapy | BA

Program Overview

Art Therapy is an exciting career field that offers a challenging opportunity to combine creativity, psychology and compassionate service. The Art Therapy curriculum is balanced between art courses, psychology, and human services courses, and includes two courses in art therapy, theory and methods, two Art Therapy internships and two senior capstone courses. The two consecutive Art Therapy courses taken in the junior year are comprised of experiential and didactic components. The required internships also take place in the junior year.

The art therapy program prepares undergraduate students for the Master’s degree program in Art Therapy and Art Therapy licensing through the American Art Therapy Association.

Graduate Study Articulation Agreement: After successful completion of the Department of Art & Design’s B.A. in Art Therapy and meeting specific criteria detailed in the agreement (for details, contact the Department of Art and Design, Anna Maria College), the student qualifies for admission to Springfield College’s M.S. Art Therapy/Counseling.

About the Department

The Department of Art and Design provides students with a broad-based liberal arts education infused with the principles of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Inclusive within the vibrant liberal arts education the department offers modern programs focused on specific professional skills in graphic design, media arts, photography, videography studio arts, self-designed program in the arts, and the therapeutic dimensions of art therapy.

There is an emphasis upon an interdisciplinary approach toward the visual arts and design, psychology and the creative arts therapies. In the classroom professors emphasize a broad understanding of the dignity of humankind, the importance of developing compassion, and the need to cultivate the awareness of just and ethical practice.

Essential to all programs is The Studio Model. In a studio course, students work in a specifically designed space which creates an open collaborative environment. This Studio Model provides an expansive and expressive atmosphere for learning. The studio environment allows open communication and constructive criticism to enrich and forward art practice. Imperative to the model is the required work outside of designated meeting times. The studio demands the constant process of production-critique-production, seeking feedback from all participants. The faculty teaches, guides, and nurtures the group or cohort.

In the junior and senior years, advanced course work is designed to run concurrently with community field placements to afford students the opportunity to observe and work alongside professionals. Each student’s placement in the community is chosen to directly reflect her/his interest and to provide a comprehensive and hands-on, team approach to learning. Students are placed by the College in appropriate settings and supervised by College personnel. The internships/practica are credit-bearing and are available to students in all of the above disciplines. Art Therapy placements range from public and private hospitals, community treatment centers providing therapeutic services to a wide range of clientele. Graphic Design Media Art, and Art internships provide students with real world experiences.

Additionally, students are encouraged to experience study abroad through programs ranging from summer study in the creative arts, to a spring break in Berlin, Paris or Vienna with our Urban Seminar program. It is important to note that Anna Maria College is a member of The American Art Therapy Association.

A bachelor’s degree from the Department of Art and Design prepares students for a wide range of graduate study and career options in art therapy, marketing/advertising/social media, creative industries, graphic design, media production, studio artist, or museum/gallery study.

Curriculum Highlights

Course Of Study

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of a BA in Art Therapy, students will:

  • Identify and describe the historical and cultural context of art and design
  • Demonstrate working knowledge of technologies and equipment applicable to their area(s) of specialization
  • Demonstrate Perceptual acuity, conceptual understanding, and the technical facility at a professional entry level in their chosen field(s). The ability to perceptively analyze works of art and design and to critically evaluate its quality
  • To work independently on a variety of art and design projects. The ability to conceptualize, research, and produce an independent project. Produce a capstone exhibition and portfolio
  • Experience using a variety of art materials and processes, and develop a portfolio demonstrating competence. A portfolio demonstrating competence is a requirement for the application to graduate degree programs in Art Therapy
  • Knowledge of the basic principles of sociology, and cultural anthropology, including the understanding of social conflict, group dynamics, the relationship of culture to the development of personality, and ethnic and multicultural issues, and its context.
  • Knowledge of basic principles of general psychology, abnormal psychology, and developmental psychology, with additional coursework in educational, clinical, experimental, and social psychology, and child/adolescence psychology, developmental disabilities, and family systems
  • Demonstrate functional competence with principles of visual organization, including the ability to work with visual elements and its application in drawing, two-dimensions and three-dimensions, color theory, and digital arts

Art Portfolio Guidelines

We encourage the submission of an Art/Design Portfolio, as a valuable part of the admissions process. This allows the College and the Department of Art & Design to gain insight on your application.

Click here to submit your portfolio.           

Portfolios are now reviewed via SlideRoom. Please visit SlideRoom to upload your images now!

Digital media portfolios and portfolios submitted using the form must adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Images: individual .jpg files titled with your name and image number, 2MB maximum size
  • Include: size, media, and date of completion
  • Video or Time Based Performances: Quick Time or .mpg

Physical portfolios and digital media are accepted as well. If you wish to present a physical portfolio or schedule an appointment to meet with Darrell Matsumoto, Director of Art & Design please email dmatsumoto@annamaria.edu. If you wish to send us your portfolio on a flash drive, please include a Word document listing the title, size, media, and date of your work. Please direct questions to David Wackell at dwackell@annamaria.edu.

Please address physical portfolio submissions to:

c/o David Wackell
Box E
Department of Art and Design
Anna Maria College
50 Sunset Lane
Paxton, MA 01612

Scholarships are also awarded every January to select students participating in the Secondary School Art Scholarship Competition. Please see accordion menu below for a complete prospectus and submission form.

New England Secondary School Art/Design Competition

Learn More

Self-Designed Major

Suggestions for Self-Design Majors

  • Photography/Video
  • Painting/Mixed Media
  • Sculpture/Installation Art
  • Digital Arts
  • Performance Art
  • Art and Business

Self-Design Program Outcomes

  • Identify and describe the historical and cultural context of art and design
  • Demonstrate working knowledge of technologies and equipment applicable to their area(s) of specialization
  • Demonstrate perceptual acuity, conceptual understanding, and the technical facility at a professional entry level in their chosen field(s). The ability to perceptively analyze works of art and design and to critically evaluate its quality
  • Demonstrate functional competence with principles of visual organization, including the ability to work with visual elements and its application in drawing, two-dimensions and three-dimensions, color theory, and digital arts
  • Work independently on a variety of art and design projects. The ability to conceptualize, research, and produce an independent project. Produce a capstone exhibition and portfolio

Art and Design Minors

Students interested in art who major in another field may minor in art. An art minor may be of particular interest to the Liberal Studies major who wishes to engage in a creative endeavor, or the business major who may find art and design skills an asset for a career in marketing, advertising, or public relations. A portfolio presentation of basic artistic skills is required to declare a minor in art.

Students interested in art who major in another field may minor in art. An art minor may be of particular interest to all majors who wishes to engage in a creative endeavor. The Art Minor is perfect complement to any major.

  •  ART 101 Drawing I
  •  ART 103 Fundamentals of Design and Color
  •  DES 103 Introduction to Digital Design
  •  ART 204 Introduction to Sculpture and Clay
  •  ART Elective
  • Art History Elective

This minor and the course selection is designed to provide the Visual Art major with the necessary foundation in psychology, forming an excellent introduction to the field of Art Therapy. Note: Students must have completed PSY101, PSY207 or PSY215 prior to ATH courses.

  • ATH 150 Methods, Material, and Techniques for Art Therapists
  • PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology
  • PSY 207 Child Development or PSY215 Psychology of Adolescence
  • PSY 306 Abnormal Psychology
  • ATH 201 Art Therapy I
  • ATH 202 Art Therapy II

This minor in Digital Social Media Design is designed is an introduction to Media Production and Marketing. This minor will provide the fundamental tools in media production and its dissemination.

  • DES 103 Introduction to Digital Design
  • DES 110 Typography I
  • ART 239 Videography I
  • ART 248 Digital Photography I
  • MCO 209 Intro to Digital Media or BUS 270 Marketing Principles
  • ENG 312 Digital Professional Communications

A minor in Graphic Design may be of particular interest to students in the art or business programs, providing them with knowledge of technology coupled with design relevant to both the creative and professional worlds.

Requirements for Art majors:

  • DES 140 Introduction to Graphic Design
  • DES 251 History of Graphic Design
  • DES 210 Typography II
  • ART 248 Introduction to Digital Photography
  • DES ___ Upper-level Graphic Design course
  • Business or Marketing elective

Requirements for non-Art majors:

  • ART 101 Fundamentals of Design and Color
  • DES 103 Introduction to Digital Design
  • ART 248 Introduction to Digital Photography
  • DES 140 Introduction to Graphic Design
  • DES ___ Upper-level Graphic Design course
  • Business or Marketing elective

This minor is designed for any student interested in the study of Photography and Videography. The minor will provide a solid foundation in the lens and light arts, which has a myriad of applications in our media driven society.

  • DES 103 Introduction to Digital Design
  • ART 248 Digital Photography I
  • ART 239 Videography I
  • ART 249 Digital Photography II or ART 240 Videography II
  • ART/DES Elective
  • ART 354 Modern and Contemporary Art History

Meet Our Faculty

Olivia Stone B.A., M.A

Lecturer in Art History
Department of Art and Design

Jason Travers

Special Lecturer in Art History
Department of Art and Design

Jillian Vaccaro B.A., M.F.A.

Lecturer, Art
Department of Art and Design

David Wackell

Director of Art and Culture
Department of Art and Design
(508) 849-3450

Matthew Waite

Lecturer, Art
Department of Art and Design